


Star Trek: Picard (Anti-Kurtzman Canon) Season 1 (Work In Progress)

by sendmeincoach



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek:, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies), Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fanon, Ferengi, Gen, Klingon, Post-Episode: s07e25 Endgame (Star Trek: Voyager), Post-Movie: Star Trek Nemesis (2002), Post-Star Trek (2009), Red Matter (Star Trek), Romulans, Star Trek References, The Borg, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Utopia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 76,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sendmeincoach/pseuds/sendmeincoach
Summary: The following is intended to be a complete revision of the CBS All Access Show "Star Trek: Picard." While the original show had some good ideas, it painfully struggled in articulating them while also breaking the signature utopia motif which makes the Star Trek universe unique in sci-fi literature. All ten episodes will be published as they come available.
Kudos: 6





	1. Episode List/Table of Contents

Star Trek: Picard/Destiny Season 1 Outline  
The following is an outline of the ten episode "season" meant to serve as an alternative to the original Star Trek: Picard CBS All Access arc. 

Episode 1: O, Brave New World  
Synopsis: Ambassador Picard --with the help of the U.S.S. Destiny-- leads evacuation of Romulus during the destructive Hobus Supernova. 

Episode 2: What Is Past Is Prologue  
Synopsis: While making contact with the previously undiscovered Wakai civilization, Picard, and the crew of the U.S.S. Destiny, are taken on an adventure through time and dimensions. 

Episode 3: Dark As Erebus  
Synopsis: Picard and the Destiny crew inspect a Ferengi factory tasked with manufacturing habitats for Romulan refugees. However, not everything is as it appears. 

Episode 4: The Winter of Our Discontent  
Synopsis: With the Klingons capitalizing on the collapse of the Romulan Empire, Picard travels to Qo’nos to avert a full scale galactic war. 

Episode 5: To Thine Own Self Be True  
Synopsis: Picard returns to the Daystrom Institute on Earth to evaluate the admissions application of one of Starfleet’s most unusual applicants. 

Episode 6: The Right of the Dead  
Synopsis: After nearly two decades of silence, the Alpha Quadrant is shaken by a possible return of the Borg Collective. 

Episode 7: Into the Breach, Part 1  
Synopsis: While establishing a new Romulan settlement, Picard and the Destiny crew confront a new threat to the galaxy. 

Episode 8: Into the Breach, Part 2  
Synopsis: Loyalties are tested as Picard and the Destiny crew make a new discovery concerning the cause of the Hobus Supernova. 

Episode 9: A Man Can Die But Once  
Synopsis: After suffering a debilitating deep space disaster, Starfleet mourns the apparent loss of the U.S.S. Destiny. 

Episode 10: He Who Sheds His Blood With Me Shall Be My Brother  
Synopsis: In a race against time, Picard must gather his allies from across the stars to thwart a plot intent on destroying the Federation.


	2. Episode 1, Chapter 1: Peace in Our Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we come across the exploits of the U.S.S. Oculus, a Section 31 vessel under deep cover in Romulan space on the verge of discovering a galactic catastrophe.

Star Trek: Picard (What Could Have Been) Episode 1: "O, Brave New World"

By: Sendmeincoach

Author's Note: The following is a novelization treatment for an alternative series of episodes that could have been the first season of the CBS All Access Show Star Trek: Picard. While the actual show had good intentions, it significantly struggled in executing them.

This proposed alternative season is intended to have the same variables as the show itself. These variables include:

The "original" title: Shortly before the show went into production, CBS patented the name "Star Trek: Destiny." The show became known as "Star Trek: Picard" after Sonequa Martin Green from Star Trek: Discovery referred to the show as "Picard." Since the title trended more because of brand name recognition, it's reasonable to assume that the showrunners kept the title "Star Trek: Picard" instead of its original title "Destiny."

A ten episode (semi-)serialized story arc.  
Like the show, there is a broader narrative and every episode connects to it. However, unlike the show, each episode is intended to have a self-contained three-act structure similar to the approach they used on Deep Space Nine.

Episodes will only feature legacy characters featured in the actual show.  
As much as it pains me, this is not a proper Next Generation reunion because those actors/characters were not featured in the actual "Picard/Destiny" show.

Legacy characters will only be featured for as long as they were featured on Picard. This means the characters can only be used for the following amount of episodes.

Picard: (10 Episodes) Actor's Dictum: Picard will not wear a uniform. The implication is that Patrick Stewart signed off on the tunic Picard wears.

Seven of Nine: (4 Episodes. Plus a brief cameo in an episode epilogue like her appearance in "Absolute Candor")

Hugh: (3 Episodes)

Riker: (2 Episodes)

Data: (2 Episodes) Actor's Dictum: Per Brent Spiner's request, Data is still dead and a Soong relative will make a 2 episode appearance.

Troi: (1 Episode) Actor's Dictum: Per Marina Sirtis' request, Troi will not wear a "spacesuit." (Her words for a uniform).

Episode 1: "O, Brave New World"

Chapter 1: Peace In Our Time?

Hobus Star System, Romulan Star Empire Stardate: 74998.5

Peace was nigh. The combined chaos of the Dominion War and the short lived but ruinous reign of Shinzon of Remus had brought the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire to the brink of an alliance. During the two decades after the death of Praetor Shinzon, the Federation and the Romulans slowly cleared the wreckage of distrust and animosity. Cultural exchanges had begun. Both sides formally established embassies on each other's sovereign territory. Archives full of centuries of secrets had slowly become available for formerly forbidden eyes to witness.

Analysts on both sides had predicted that by the start of the 25th Century, the Federation would solidify the same kind of diplomatic relations with the Romulans as they had with the Klingons at the turn of the preceding century. But, no one in the galaxy could have predicted the magnitude to which that theory would be tested. In an otherwise mundane region of the Romulan Star Empire, events were about to unfold which would forever change the galaxy.

The inciting incident of the 25th Century began with a small Romulan scout vessel traversing the interstellar void. The vessel's beak-like fuselage pointed towards a string of asteroids bobbing in the blue and green currents of a planetary nebula. Beyond the waves of gas and dust rested the Hobus Star System.

At first glance, the red supergiant was as unremarkably commonplace. The elder star held no planets in its orbit. The asteroids which crowned its frontier had no precious metals for extraction. The only redeeming quality about the surrounding nebula was that two million years in the future, its gases might spawn another star system. While these details might fascinate cosmologists, they were utterly useless for the Tal Shiar: the Romulan Star Empire's secret intelligence agency. Nevertheless, the Romulan scout vessel appeared to be en route to rendezvous with a squadron of Tal Shiar vessels in close orbit around this swollen globe of hydrogen and helium.

However, as the scout vessel approached the nebula, a series of seemingly horrifying catastrophes began to unfold. First, the port nacelle spontaneously disappeared. Both its emerald green warp signature and the machinery that produced it completely vanished as if they never existed. Then, the starboard nacelle suffered the same fate. As the beak of the raptor class spacecraft struck the nebula, its entire hull seemed to bubble and warp. The Romulan vessel appeared to be melting in the nebula's simmering tide.

Then, in the next instant, all traces of the raptor disappeared. In its place stood the jet-black spaceframe of the U.S.S. Oculus, a vessel commissioned by Section 31: the Federation's own secret intelligence agency. The Oculus was a top secret Black Sail class reconnaissance vessel. Its jagged, narrow saucer section sliced through the clouds like an assassin's blade. The stardrive and engines were firmly packed into the saucer's aft section.

Despite its miniscule size, the Oculus housed one of the most powerful reactors known to the Federation. Although no bigger than a Defiant class vessel, the Oculus required major energy outputs to keep its adaptive camouflage systems, cloaking device, and experimental transwarp propulsion systems operational at all times.

The Oculus had managed to infiltrate the heart of Romulan territory by transforming into the raptor scout ship after scanning an identical vessel making its way to Federation space. The sophisticated cloaking technology allowed them to come within a hundred kilometers of the vessel without the slightest suspicion.

With the right schematics onboard, the Oculus could accurately transform into any known configuration from a Ferengi freighter to a Borg cube with all capabilities those vessels possessed. This classified breakthrough came from advanced replicator nodes embedded on every deck of the ship. Similar nodes embedded in the crew's uniform could cause similar transformations to their appearances. The more time the computers had; the more convincing the crew's digital disguises would be. The critical drawback to the adaptive camouflage technology is that cosmic disturbances such as solar flares and stardust rendered it inoperative. For the Oculus to traverse the nebula, it would have to return to its original form.

As the Oculus quietly made its way through the nebula's cosmic tidepools, her commanding officer, Captain Enrico Lombardo made his log.

"Captain's Log. Stardate: 74998.5 Classified Top Secret. Using our adaptive camouflage technology, we have successfully infiltrated the heart of Romulan space and have arrived at the Hobus Star System."

The grizzled old starship captain adjusted his all black uniform with silver rank insignia as he looked about the bridge to ensure that his ship had properly transitioned back into its original form. Once satisfied, his bulky hand brushed over his slicked back salt and pepper hair and looked through the viewscreen.

"In the thirty seven years in which I have conducted reconnaissance missions, this sortie is undoubtedly the most unusual. With the Federation and Romulan Empire on the verge of peace, the Tal Shiar intelligence agency has been engaged in a top secret operation involving the Hobus supergiant."

Lombardo glanced over at his Vulcan science officer and second in command T'Kal as she methodically inspected sensor logs which hovered before her eyes on a holographic screen.

"Romulans conducting secret experiments is nothing new, of course, but what has the brass at San Francisco concerned is who they have assisting them. Intelligence reports that Seven of Nine, famed Federation scientist and former Borg drone, is assisting them."

Lombardo stood up from his captain's chair and made his way forward towards the control station at the front of the ship where his Klingon tactical officer, Qua, and his helmsman Lieutenant Sophia Cho were stationed.

"Five days ago, she resigned her fellowship at the Daystrom Institute on Earth and disappeared from Federation space. Our analysts discovered that shortly before her disappearance, Seven of Nine's personal logs from her time aboard the U.S.S. Voyager were accessed by Romulan scientists. Thanks to burgeoning diplomatic ties between Earth and Romulus, there's nothing sinister about these requests on the surface. But with the Romulans, nothing is ever as it seems. Did she leave on her own accord or was she abducted for this mission?"

As he placed himself between the control station and the viewscreen, Captain Lombardo turned to his helmsman and tactical officers. "Ms. Cho, be prepared to activate our cloaking device the instant we emerge from the nebula." Cho replied with a nod and placed her hand over the button. Lombardo turned to his Klingon tactical officer. "Mr. Qua, do we still have those Praetorian Capital Ship schematics into our adaptive camouflage database?"

The Klingon nodded sharply. "Good," Captain Lombardo turned to T'Kal as she continued to scan the sensor readouts before finishing his order to Qua. "Pull them up and stand by. If this mission goes sideways, we're going to need them."

The Oculus bridge was characteristically quiet as the crew began its harvesting of intelligence. Oftentimes only the pinning of the ship's sensors was the only audible sound. Whoever was not staring at the ship's flashing telltales of data were fixated on the half dozen Romulan vessels orbiting the red supergiant. Two Warbirds were escorting a series of smaller raptor-like vessels approaching the planet.

Lombardo turned to T'Kal, his Vulcan science officer. "Any ideas?" T'Kal gave a piercing glance at her captain before turning back to the data. "We are monitoring an operation whose mere existence the Romulan Senate refuses to acknowledge. The operation has potentially enlisted the services of a Federation citizen and former Borg drone. Finally, four science vessels are escorted by the most sophisticated weapons of war the Romulans have ever conceived. I have a plentitude of theories."

Lombardo turned back to the viewscreen. "Ops, any sign of Seven of Nine on those ships?"

Qua punched up some buttons on the operations section of his console. "We're too far away to tell." His voice was sharp. Lombardo debated moving the ship closer. He turned back to the viewscreen as the four science vessels formed a diamond shape formation with their bows facing the star's churning crimson sea. "What is so special about this star system, T'Kal? Why would the Romulans pick this place for a covert operation?"

Without breaking her gaze from the console, T'Kal effortlessly rectied the same facts that she had memorized since primary school on Vulcan.

"The Hobus star is a red supergiant. It formed from the particles that make up the nebula that surrounds it. As a red supergiant, it is nearing the end of its life cycle. In a few million years, we can expect it to collapse and go supernova. At that point, it will either collapse into a neutron star or a black hole."

Lombardo smirked at his science officer's report. "A few million years? Well, the Romulan Senate will certainly have time to plan for that. We'll make sure the Federation Council gives them a heads up." A small chuckle filled the bridge. That joke was the last bit of peace that the U.S.S. Oculus crew would ever experience. A foreboding chirp came from the science console causing T'Kal to frown. Lombardo briskly approached her. T'Kal, like many Vulcans, seldom frowned.

"What is it, T'Kal?" T'Kal turned to the viewscreen. "Curious. The Romulans just deployed a massive graviton forcefield of extremely unusual density." The Oculus bridge crew looked to the viewscreen and saw a lattice of violet light stretch out from all four of the Romulan science vessels. Lieutenant Cho shot a glance of disbelief at T'Kal. "What are they trying to do? Tow a small planet?" T'Kal curtly shook her head.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light burned in the space between the four Romulan science vessels. Lombardo shaded his eyes with one and grabbed the nearby railing. "Computer, deploy viewscreen shades." Before the computer delivered its customary beeps of compliance, every screen on the Oculus instantly went blank. An instant later, a single Greek letter appeared on every readout on the ship. A sickening quiver pulsed through the ship. The computer did not need to make its programmed announcement about the dreaded Omega sign.

Unlike standard Starfleet vessels, every Section 31 operative had been briefed on the Omega Directive. In the business of interplanetary intelligence, everyone needed to be trained on effectively diffusing problems that could destroy the universe. The Omega Directive ranked at the top of that list.

Lombardo sank in his chair taking a split second to determine his course of action. By the time his neck hit the headrest, he knew what to do. "Mr. Qua, we need those Capital Ship schematics." He turned to T'Kal. "Go through our records of Romulan leadership and pick a Senator of your choice. You're going to impersonate them. Order them to stand down. If Omega is already synthesized, it's too risky to destroy them but we can dismantle them if we play our cards right." Lombardo then turned to address the bridge crew. "Quickly, people, double time!"

With a couple beeps, a rippling glow cascaded across the Oculus bridge. In a series of seconds, the drab and cramped bridge module became a spacious and opulent chamber filled with Romulan banners and displays. From the gleaming silver badges on their chests, a series of gray Romulan tunics materialized on every crewmember. Everyone but T'Kal gritted as the black uniforms inserted small tubules into their necks to synthesize their holographic facades. The digital disguises were intended to mimic Romulan anatomy but given their hasty construction, they would not hold up to major scrutiny.

Lombardo and Qua briskly made their way to inconspicuous corners of the newly transformed bridge as T'Kal ascended the rising captain's chair which served as a throne. Before the newly promoted Romulan senator could sit down, the ship wildly rocked in the wake of a massive explosion.

In an instant, the illusion disappeared. The Oculus computer had diverted power from the holographic emitters to the engines and weapons. With a cacophony of chaotic klaxons filling the air, Lombardo turned to the viewscreen and asked for a report. But the viewscreen gave him all he needed to know. Several dozen Omega molecules had been thrown into the red supergiant through some sort of capsule. The erratic flight paths of the Romulan ships indicated that whatever was happening was not part of their plan.

An event several million years in the making was now going to happen in seconds. The Hobus Red Supergiant was about to explode into a supernova. Now, thanks to the addition of the Omega molecules, devastation was going to be exponentially worse than a standard celestial blast. With critical seconds ticking away, Lombardo instinctively turned to T'Kal at the Science Station. "How soon before it goes." T'Kal sharply turned to Lombardo and responded with her signature dispassionate tone. "If we do not leave immediately, we will be destroyed."

Lombardo turned to his helmsman and began issuing orders back to Federation space. "Maximum warp." He turned to T'Kal. "Transmit all our data to Control in case we don't make it." T'Kal nodded sharply. "A very prudent course of action, Captain, considering I calculate an 95.7 percent chance we will be consumed by the blast."

Lights in the Oculus bridge flickered on as the ship brought itself about and headed towards Federation space through the nebula. Lombardo impatiently twitched his fingers on the rests of his chair as the ship's impulse engines blasted the vessel through the dust cloud at full speed. "How long until we can go to warp?" The helmsman's response came at the same time a digital counter appeared on the screens. Two minutes were needed before they could go to warp but the Hobus would go supernova in 90 seconds.

Lombardo turned to T'Kal. "Any suggestions."

After an instant of studying readouts for the projected blast, T'Kal turned to Lombardo. "We can use the STEM drive." Lombardo frowned. "That's right off the drawing board. There's no guarantee it'll work." T'Kal pulled up the command prompt to activate the drive. "It is the best option we have. I calculate our survival at 37.5 percent." Lombardo didn't even need to look at the readouts. "Do it!" He had been in enough skirmishes to trust his Vulcan first officer. He had learned this lesson from the greatest Captains in Starfleet.

"Ops, send this message to Section 31 Control. Recon Complete: Romulans have used Omega on Hobus Star. Supernova imminent. Repeat: Supernova…." In that instant, the Hobus Star System was the brightest spot in the universe. A cataclysmic blast, the universe's four basic forces converged on a single point in space and cast shockwaves in all directions.

The Hobus Supernova in the center of the Romulan Star Empire had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene is the inciting event for the whole show. I was originally hesitant to include Section 31 because Alex Kurtzman has driven that plot device into the ground but here it seemed needed. 
> 
> A Federation vessel uncovering a top secret Romulan operation deep in their own territory can’t work with a wayward Galaxy class starship. And the Black Sails class vessel seems to be a fun addition to the Star Trek universe even if it has already been featured in the video game “Star Trek: Away Team.”


	3. Episode 1, Chapter 2: Instinct Plus Opportunity Equals Profit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we meet Jean-Luc Picard who has transitioned away from Starfleet to a new "encore career." We also meet his aide Edala, a young Romulan woman.

Chapter 2: Instinct Plus Opportunity Equals Profit

Federation Colony Veritas-1, Elas System, Near Romulan Neutral Zone, Stardate: 74997.1

"I came all the way from Ferengiar for this!?" The angry Ferengi's nasally voice reverberated through the gleaming steel walls of the conference room. The Ferengi's name was Yashe. Anyone with more than a single strip of latinum to their name knew that Yashe was an up and comer. He had successfully turned a dilapidated replicator repair business into one of the greatest wholesale emporiums for holosuites, mining equipment, weapons, and warp cores in the Alpha Quadrant. Ferengi seldom wager unless something is a sure bet and Yashe's candidacy for Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance was one of them. This was of course, if he obeyed the Rules of Acquisition: all 285 of them.

Across the polished black slate table sat a trio of Federation colonists. The Terran sat in the center. His dark features contrasted with his immaculately white suit. The perfectly tied and straight laced royal blue necktie showed he had a direct line to the Federation Council back on Earth. "Forty percent is more than generous considering we discovered and mapped the dilithium deposit." The Tellarite to his right nodded. His mouse-like features delivered a snort intending to be intimidating.  
"But without my premium manufacturing and mining equipment, those crystals are useless, aren't they?" Yashe's rhetorical question was peppered with a gleeful chuckle. The Vulcan colonist sitting at the table took a deep sigh before issuing his perspective. "We can contract another more reasonable firm to accommodate us. Upon our initial discovery, it was logical to contact your organization because of your efficient reputation and your franchise's seemingly omnipresent locations. We could secure the services of a Federation contractor and resolve this issue within the hour."

Yashe hissed in disgust. "Federation vendors?! Bah! Too many regulations: environmental quality certificates, antimatter emissions testing, fractal downgrading of the crystals to ease up on the so-called 'subspace footprint.' By the time your Federation poindexters are through with the deposit, not even a Pakled freighter would want them." He chuckled to himself as he turned to his two trusted associates. His accountant sat to his right and his lawyer to his left.

"No, no, no! You Federation types don't have the lobes for business. Everyone knows that. The smartest thing you ever did was call me first to inspect your little latinum mine here." Yashe pointed to the ridges on his nose. "I smell profit in the hills on the Southern continent. But, true to form, you penniless flunkies wouldn't know profit if it hit you at high warp with transphasic torpedoes." Yashe gave a heavy sigh. "I think we're done here."

In that moment, a solitary arm dressed in a gray tunic sleeve reached out over the polished black slate. As its pointer finger struck the shining veneer, a booming voice cleared the air. "I think not, Yashe. I have a counter proposal for you on behalf of the Federation." In that moment, the entire room orbited the man sitting in the black tall back chair.

With masterful theatricality, Ambassador Jean-Luc Picard rose from his chair and activated a holographic projector in the center of the table. An artificial facsimile of the planet they occupied materialized out of thin air. With a flick of Picard's wrist, he highlighted the planet's four major continents. The Northwest continent was speckled with blue lights indicating the Federation colony where they were located. Two dozen wide purple tendrils spread out over the Southern Continent indicating the dilithium crystal deposits. Picard explained the meaning of the two sets of colors.

Yashe jeered at Picard's theatricality. "Diplomats! They make fortunes by stating the obvious."

Picard's piercing eyes burned into the disenchanted Ferengi's lobes for a brief second. "I am not yet finished, Yashe." The terseness of his voice harkened back to when Picard commanded the U.S.S. Enterprise-D which housed countless scores of children. After pausing a moment for effect, Picard motioned to a series of islands. "Now, the Federation is holding firm to its offer of forty percent. However, it is also offering you claims to all the archipelagos in the Southeastern sea."

Yashe scoffed as he turned to his accountants. "The Federation is offering me rights to a bunch of islands no one wants. What a bargain!" Ignoring the Ferengi's barb, Picard turned to the Vulcan colonist. "K'Bal, correct me if I'm wrong, but these are not ordinary islands, aren't they?" The Vulcan nodded and explained that the islands are the highest plateaus of a massive continent. Due to the tectonic activity of the planet, the continent slowly sank into the ocean, leaving only the peaks of the highest mountains behind. The remarkable quality of this otherwise mundane geological act was that the subduction's glacial pace allowed the vegetation and wildlife to adapt to the new aquatic environment.

An optimistic gleam shone in Picard's right eye after the Vulcan colonist gave his report. "As I'm sure you know, my discerning Ferengi friend, the 9th Rule of Acquisition states that 'instinct plus opportunity equals profit.'" He gestured to the hovering representation of the planet. "You have the opportunity to turn a forty percent return on an investment into a tourism site the likes of which this quadrant has never seen." He enlarged the cluster of islands on the hologram. Extra images of picturesque tropical beaches with serene turquoise ocean waves and multicolored volcanic sands appeared next to every island. "A casino on every beach. Yacht rentals for pleasure cruises across tranquil seas. Submersible gardens. Five bars of latinum just to see them."

Picard turned to the Ferengi trio for the rousing finale of his speech. "A forty percent share of the highest quality dilithium in the Federation is more than enough to start building. If you have the lobes for business, that forty percent can become a fortune in franchising across an entire former continent." As the Ferengi stared attentively at the digital screens, Picard swooped down to whisper into their oversized ears. "Remember, the 52nd Rule of Acquisition: only Bugsy could make Las Vegas."

Yashe shot a slight glance at his two associates who gave unanimous nods. After receiving this approval, the arrogant Ferengi bit his lip and nodded. "You know, the Grand Nagus warned us of a human Starfleet captain who was fully versed in our Rules of Acquisition, but your name didn't come up." Picard smiled thinly. "That's because I haven't been a starship captain for about ten years, now. I'm an Ambassador now who prides himself on his cultural fluency. One must know the perspective of both sides to reach an agreement."

The ponderous Ferengi stared at the digital sphere hovering before him, inspecting every possible drawback to the proposal. "I never thought I'd agree with the Hero of Maxia. But, only a fool passes up a business opportunity." Picard nodded. "The 110th Rule of Acquisition, well done." Yashe returned the nod with a thin smile. "Alright, forty percent it is."

Before Picard could respond, the gleaming steel wall behind the Ferengi suddenly turned clear. A young Romulan woman was standing behind the partition wearing a blue and gray tunic, the official uniform of the Federation Diplomatic Corps. It was Edala, Picard's aide. After tapping the now transparent wall with two fingers, the olive skinned young Romulan woman smartly pointed at a silver and blue padd she held close to her chest. Her uncharacteristically long black hair brushed the top of it. Her bangs covered the imperceptible Romulan ridges on her forehead. Picard nodded. He gestured for the two parties to shake hands before excusing himself into the hallway.

Edala handed Picard the padd and began briskly walking down the sterile metal hallway towards a secure communication relay. "Congratulations on the agreement, Ambassador." Picard smiled with a crooked twist of irony. "I started my career fighting the Ferengi, now I'm helping them set up a resort that could rival Risa. Oh my, how times have changed." Picard inspected the padd which indicated the message: URGENT COMMUNIQUE FOR STARFLEET COMMAND PRIORITY ONE. EYES ONLY. Picard mimicked what his younger aide had done and held the screen to his chest as they made their way past the holographic Federation seal levitating in the foyer.

Edala led the way with a beaming smile. "Next stop, Qo'nos. I am really honored that you chose me to lead those negotiations." Picard nodded approvingly at her unbridled ambition. "How are the Klingon lessons going?" Edala responded by placing her clenched fist on her chest and bellowing out a guttural multisyllabic phrase in Klingon. Picard smiled as they made their way into an adjacent hallway. "Impressive, my dear. I'm sure when we get to the Great Hall you'll be successful." An ironic smirk overcame Edala's face. "If not, I have been sharpening my bat'leth skills. I'm sure I can hold my own with that if things get out of hand."

Standing by a secured hatchway, Edala pressed her finger on the panel to a communication relay and whispered her voiceprint authorization code. With the door hissing open, Picard sharply walked into the cramped soundproof room. By placing the padd on the desk, a projection of Admiral Miguel Alvarez appeared floating at eye level with Picard.

"Ambassador Picard, you are hereby ordered to Romulus, effective immediately." Picard frowned. "What has happened, Admiral?" "There are many variables our analysts are still figuring out. We are sending you what we can. The short answer is that an unusual supernova has erupted in the Hobus System. It is wiping out everything in its path including the subspace domain." A digital readout of the Hobus supernova blast radius appeared on the screen.

Picard frowned as his eyes traced the impossibly fast pace of the blast radius. "Something's not right, here, Admiral." "Agreed, the brunt of the blastwave is on a direct course for Romulus. We are ordering you to represent the Federation in negotiating an evacuation plan of the Romulan leadership and inhabitants. We are implementing a series of refugee camps along the Neutral Zone for you to resettle them. You will board a vessel already on route to Romulus. They will signal you momentarily."

Picard soberly looked at the Admiral through the holographic frame. "Anything else I should know, Admiral?" Alvarez gave a sigh as he placed a hand over his goatee. "Starfleet Intelligence speculates that a Federation citizen is somehow involved with the supernova." A digital panel appeared next to the indicator for the blast radius and a likeness of Seven of Nine appeared walking the streets of Romulus. "Annika Hansen," The words fell from Picard's lips as he inspected the landmarks in the image which surrounded his fellow former drone.

Alvarez's tone was firm. "Intel is inconclusive at this point. It's also given on a need to know basis, Picard." Picard nodded understandingly. Alvarez looked to a map on his console. "Your extraction ship is in range. It will have everything you need. Observe top level discretion concerning this information, Ambassador. This is without a doubt the greatest threat the galaxy has ever faced." Picard solemnly nodded. "Understood, Admiral."

The instant the floating holographic display disappeared, Picard gripped the sides of the padd with both hands and snapped the display in half. Stepping out of the secure communication relay, Picard handed the severed halves of the padd to Edala. True to her routine, she rushed them to the nearest replicator booth. By tapping the restricted tab on the display, a beam of light converted the sensitive information into pure energy. With three flicks of her finger, the patterns indicating the object's former life were erased. No one could retrieve the information now.

With the sensitive evidence properly reduced to atoms, Picard led his young assistant to the lusciously green botanical garden outside the colony. After scanning the area around him for eavesdroppers, Picard pulled out a combadge from his pocket. "We have had a change of plans, my dear," Edala frowned as Picard slapped the combadge onto the left breast of his tunic. "You mean we're not going to Qo'nos? Why!? I spent weeks arranging that conference. Not to mention I became proficient in three of the local dialects, just like you ordered." Picard shook his head. "I'm sorry, Edala. A bigger issue has just taken precedence." Edala face's twisted into an exasperated scowl only a Romulan could pull off. "Where?"

Picard looked at his protege with tender sympathy as he placed his arm on her shoulder. "Home,"

In that moment, the combadge on Picard's chest issued its telltale clicking sound. "Titan to Picard." An involuntary smile overcame Picard's face as the voice evoked almost two decades of fond memories. "Picard here, two to beam up, Captain Riker."

The next instant, Picard and his protege disappeared in a wave of blue and white glittering light. An instant later, the vessel that retrieved them plotted a course directly into a line of cosmic fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m just going to say it. Having Picard become an admiral and resign in protest of the bungled Romulan evacuation as depicted in the actual show was a mistake. It’s completely out of character. 
> 
> When Patrick Stewart qualified his announcement of Picard’s return with the phrase “he might not be a starship captain anymore,” I immediately thought having Picard serve as an ambassador was a proper fit. Having Picard use his diplomatic superpowers to solve galactic problems would have been a great set up for a show.
> 
> Instead, they gave Picard the “Luke Skywalker treatment” which terribly undercut the show’s potential.


	4. Episode 1, Chapter 3: Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Picard is reunited with Riker and Troi who assist Picard in his special mission from Starfleet. The trio reminisce about the events that have happened after their time on the Enterprise-E.

Chapter 3: Family

U.S.S. Titan NCC-80102 En Route to Romulus Stardate: 74997.3

The boundless field of stars rippled across the bay windows of the Titan's foremost quarters as the vessel broke orbit from the tropical planet. For the last several months, the cabin was as dark as space itself. Suddenly, a stream of artificial light poured into the shadowy room and a shadow materialized in its wake. It belonged to a young female crewmember. The lack of pips on her mandarin collar indicated that she was enlisted personnel. Her stride carried the deliberate purpose that was instilled in her from basic training. Every strand of her blonde hair swayed in unison as if she were back on the parade deck on some faraway planet during her commencement celebration. Her smiling face beamed with the enthusiasm of every experience being a new adventure. Undoubtedly, the Titan was her first assignment. It was also her first time escorting a Federation dignitary. She was sure that the next few moments would be one of the highlights of her career.

Picard followed the enthusiastic junior enlisted woman into his quarters. Her exuberant attitude reminded him of attendants on civilian transports going from Earth to the surrounding solar system. He stood in the doorway as the young woman "If you'll come this way, Mr. Ambassador, the Captain indicated that you prefer the forward quarters in lieu of the ones we reserve for VIPs."

Picard nodded. "Yes, I gave the VIP quarters to my aide. It's my standard operating procedure under the circumstances. I figured she'd enjoy the best amenities that Starfleet can offer." The recruit nodded sharply and continued with her tour of the cabin. She indicated the thermostat and the replicator. Halfway through her instructions, a palpable lurch pulsed through the ship. A split second later, the starscape in front of the two Starfleet personnel erupted into a ribbon of undulating blue and white light. The young specialist trembled as she grabbed the table for support. By the time she steadied herself, the Titan had achieved the nearly impossible feat of transitioning from normal space to warp speed.

Picard made his way across the room and helped steady the novice space-farer. "Still getting your sea legs, my dear?" Her confused frown coaxed a small chuckle from the seasoned explorer. "It's an old expression. Back on Earth, during the ancient age, the constant churning of the sea caused sailors to stumble as they walked on the deck plates. After some time, they learned to sway with the ship so they wouldn't run into things."

The recruit's efforts to regain her professional composure earned a grandfatherly smile from Picard. "First assignment?" The recruit nodded with militant precision. "First time on any starship, sir. Outside of basic training, of course." Picard congratulated her with an understanding nod. Sitting down, Picard asked for her name and where she was from. "I'm Transporter's Mate Fourth Class Lauren Faust, sir. I come from Corvan II," Picard's face lit up in astonishment. "You are a long way from home, Miss Faust. We're on the other side of the Federation heading deep into the heart of foreign territory."

An eager smile appeared on the Petty Officer's face. "And that's the miracle of Starfleet, sir. My ancestors were human settlers wanting to get away from Earth and its fast paced lifestyle. I enlisted to avoid a life of growing quadrotriticale so I could explore the galaxy." Picard's face tightened with enthusiastic resolve. "Indeed!" He then qualified his statement with his signature diplomacy. "Although there is nothing wrong with an honest living like that. It puts food on the table for those in the galaxy who are not as fortunate as Federation citizens."

As Faust awkwardly rolled her eyes at the thought of her working on a farm, Picard's face turned up in a tender smile. "But, I truly believe that some people are called by the stars. There's something inside these people that compels them to venture into the unknown to discover something new." He turned his gaze towards the churning sea of waking spacetime ahead of him. "I've never been a spiritual man," Luminous ripples of light danced across Picard's solemn expression. "but I'd imagine a monk has a similar calling for ministry."

A bright flash of light illuminated the obscure quarters for an instant as the Titan reached its cruising velocity. Faust trembled as another surge pulsed through the floor. Picard turned towards her with a grandfatherly gaze. "Can you keep a secret, my dear?" A faint smile appeared on the recruit's face. A side of her braced for the possibility that she might have to be debriefed by Section 31 afterwards because her guest divulged top secret information. A fleeting smirk overcame Picard's face as he almost mischievously looked over his shoulder before leaning closer to his new plebeian friend. "That calling is why I always give up my VIP quarters when I travel. All the amenities in the galaxy can't compare with the privilege of seeing its beauty head on."

As the two interstellar voyagers held their discussion in the still shadowy cabin, another wave of light cascaded across the floor casting two more shadows. The first happened to belong to the most important person on the ship. The second belonged to the person who outranked him. The hulking build of Captain William T. Riker stealthily entered the cabin. The slender frame of his wife, the retired Commander Deanna Troi, followed him. They silently entered the cabin to surprise their former Captain. They heard the speech about the calling of the stars and they knew better than to interrupt a patented Jean-Luc Picard monologue. Riker made it within two meters of his newest crewmembers before he cleared his throat. "Crewman Faust, isn't it?"

A horrified grimace overcame the young woman's face. She was told she had ten minutes to acquaint the Ambassador with the ship and surely she was overdue in the Transporter Room. To make matters worse, she was caught by the most powerful person on the ship. Dozens of syllables and premature words chattered from her stammering lips as she approached her Captain. The only distinguishable words from the vocal exercise were "Captain Riker" and "I."

After the fourth attempt to explain herself, Riker raised his right hand and calmly stemmed the onslaught of vowels with a slow steady hush. "It's alright, crewman. I understand. It's not every day our ship gets to enjoy the company of the Federation's most distinguished diplomat." The bold-faced flattery caused Picard to rise to his feet, waving his hand in feigned dismissiveness. Riker, Troi and Picard spent the next minute embracing each other after many years of being apart. During this overpowering moment of affection, Faust awkwardly slunk back towards the replicator. "They didn't prepare me for this in basic training," She said while activating the main displays.

When the joyous chorus of greetings finally subsided, Faust got her Captain's attention by snapping to attention. "Captain, the quarters have been programmed to the Ambassador's specifications. Environmental preferences are set and replicator menus are installed. Anything else, sir?" Riker returned the Titan's youngest crewman's report with a salute glowing with good humor. "That'll be all, crewman. We'll skip the court marshall, this time." As Faust gasped, Riker gave a signature chuckle. "It's alright, crewman. You are relieved. Take the rest of your shift off."

As Faust obsequiously ducked out of the dim quarters, Riker and Troi turned to their former Captain who had already situated himself at the dining table facing the shimmering bay windows. With the doors hissing shut, Riker made his way to the dining table. "You're getting soft, Picard. The man I met over thirty years ago wouldn't let a junior enlisted recruit off that easily." Picard smiled. "I prefer the term 'wiser.' Having spent most of my life in the service, I've realized that the old guard needs to respect the next generation. It's the only way to move forward."

Riker turned to his wife and smiled. Unlike her fellow shipmates, she was wearing a maroon frock with her combadge pinned in its regulation position as a broach. Picard turned his gaze from his former first officer to his former confidant. "And speaking of getting soft, Deanna, my dear, you are looking wonderfully out of uniform." Troi smiled. "I know, fortunately, I have some pull with the Captain. He's willing to overlook some breaches of orders." Riker pulled up a chair. "Rank has its privileges, doesn't it, Captain?"

Picard winced. "Will, I haven't been called that in fifteen years. Also, I think after thirty years, our relationship has earned first name status." Riker motioned for his wife to sit at the table as he made his way to the replicator. "I don't know. Last time I called you Jean Luc, I had Q powers. That was an awkward time in my life. I don't like to think about it." Riker illuminated the replicator screen. "One American Stout, Alaskan Region; one Betazoid Sangria and one Tea, Earl Grey Hot." A series of undulating indigo waves flooded the replicator compartment for a second and then the beverages materialized.

As Riker carried the tray which housed the replicator's precious cargo, Picard turned to Troi. "Seeing the two of you is definitely going to be a highlight of this mission. How long has it been, Deanna?" Troi reached for the tall glass which housed her rich purple beverage. "Ten years. We last saw each other at the decommissioning ceremony for the Enterprise-E."

Picard nodded in recognition. "Of course, how could I have forgotten the decommissioning ceremony?!" He took the saucer of tea and took a sip. "You know, I've served in Starfleet for most of my life and I have commanded three starships but that was the only decommissioning ceremony I've ever done." Riker grunted. "It helps when your ship isn't attacked by renegade Klingons who hacked your Chief Engineer's VISOR." Riker shook his head in disgust as he took another draught of his stout. Picard nodded understandingly. "It also helps when your ship isn't attacked by marauding Ferengi, either."

Riker shot Troi an impish glance as he raised his glass for a boisterous toast. "To the new U.S.S. Enterprise! Which one are we on? Oh yes, NCC-1701-F." Troi clinked her glass with a chuckle and Picard followed suit. "Yes," Picard's voice mirrored the playfulness of Riker's toast with a sweeping tone of jubilation. "And to her Commanding Officer, the first Klingon Captain in Starfleet." The trio clinked glasses again. Troi picked up a slice of orange from the serving tray and began squeezing it into her glass. As the juice sprinkled into the blended fruit, she asked about Worf.

"He is well, last I heard from him. When he's not recruiting the 'most honorable crew' from the ranks of Starfleet and the Academy. He's also pestering Geordi at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards to make sure every rivet on the ship is properly fastened." Picard's face smirked as he described Worf's recruitment criteria. Riker smiled. "I bet Geordi is having a ball overseeing the new Enterprise's construction."

Picard nodded. "The Enterprise-F will be the prototype for the celebrated Odyssey class, the most advanced starship design in the Federation. Geordi actually convinced the Daystrom Institute to declassify and install that technology the Starship Voyager used to get back from the Delta Quadrant." Riker frowned. "Wait. Wasn't that technology from an alternate future? How in the world did Geordi get that by the Temporal Mechanics Department?"

Picard raised his eyes to the overhead and shook his head while parroting what his former chief engineer had told him. "The statute of limitations has lifted. When the Voyager used the technology, it came from 20 years in the future. Now 20 years have passed. The Enterprise construction has been slightly delayed while Geordi brainstorms some extra upgrades to the technology. We never know when those systems will become useful." Riker smiled. "It's a shame we won't be able to play with those toys."

Picard dropped his glass. "No?" Riker shook his head. "She goes into mothballs in four months. And so will we. We've been out in space for too long." Picard smirked. "No such thing, Will."

Troi took a sip of her sangria before speaking next. Her words were measured demonstrating extreme tact for what she was about to ask. "You mentioned the Daystrom Institute. How is he?"

Riker nodded reverently. He knew the being to whom his wife was referring. Picard took a deep breath before answering the question. "Last time I checked, progress with B-4 has been glacially slow. Despite having twenty years at his disposal, the android's primitive neural pathways are still struggling with encoding and storing Data's memories." Picard frowned before raising the cup of Earl Grey to his mouth. "One of the experts described the process as filling a rice cooker using only chopsticks. They say it'll be at least five years before any measurable progress is made."

After a few moments of silence, Riker swirled his stout before speaking. "Well, the beautiful thing about being an android is time is always on your side."

At that moment, the doors to Picard's quarters slid open and two figures made their way into the cabin. The first belonged to a young adult male, athletic and dark haired holding a saxophone in his right hand. His face bore the beginnings of a moustache similar to his father. The second belonged to a young girl of comparatively slighter build. Her dark hair was tied into a ponytail which draped along her right shoulder.

The young man spoke with enthusiastic earnestness. "Dad, can I play my saxophone solo for Uncle Picard?" Picard raised his eyebrows in astonishment as he turned to the young man. "Uncle Picard?! Thaddeus Ian Riker, the last time I saw you, we were fishing on the holodeck for your eighth birthday." The young girl walked up to Troi. "Mom, can we read The Essence of Dreams before bedtime?" Picard turned to Troi with a mind-bogglingly staggered expression. "The Carl Jung text? I should have known. You're bringing your daughter up right, Deanna."

Troi received her daughter and directed her to look to Picard. "This is Uncle Picard, Leto. Can you say, hi?" Picard warmly waved at the young girl before speaking. "Hello, Leto. The last time I saw you, you were a babe in arms. Your mother brought you to the decommissioning ceremony." After a few moments together, Riker and Troi ordered the young Riker children to their quarters. As the two children rushed through the opening hatchway, Riker called out, "An extra hour of holodeck time to the first person who cleans their cabin. I check the security feeds so I'll know."

Picard gave his quarters an appraising gaze before turning back to his former first officer. "The captaincy suits you both very well. This ship has held up pretty well over the last twenty years," Riker turned to Troi and smiled. "As have a lot of other things, I see." Picard turned back to see the children disappear behind the closing turbolift doors at the end of the passageway. "You've had far better luck with your ship than I ever had with any of mine."

Troi scoffed at her former Captain's comment. "That's not fair to you, Jean-Luc. We've had the luxury of commanding during a different era." She raised her glass and swirled its contents in three precise spins of her wrist. Riker nodded after draining his stout. "The Dominion War is now about 25 years astern from us. The Borg haven't given us any trouble since the Voyager came back from the Delta Quadrant. Now the Romulans are a treaty away from becoming allies. I'd say it's been smooth sailing for us."

As Riker placed his empty growler in the replicator bin, Troi continued to muse. "Leto's namesake is because she was born on the Titan. I could have never done that when we were on the Enterprise-E." With the empty glass vanishing back into data patterns, Riker made his way back to the table. "It's been a good chapter for us. I'll be sad when it finally comes to a close in four months."

Riker gave his wife a tender rub on the shoulder which brought a smile to Picard's face. "And, what are your plans after that?" Picard's voice surged with earnestness. Riker and Troi were the closest thing to a living family that he now had. Troi squeezed Riker's hand. "Well, we haven't ruled out an encore career. Will wants to serve as a strategic analyst for the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Earth and I want to hold a private practice on Betazed."

Picard's eyes widened. "An interplanetary commute?" Riker smiled. "I've always wanted to build a cabin in the woods. We have a plot picked out in Alaska. Deanna has an old family home by the Opal Sea on Betazed." "We'd both commute on a bi-monthly basis."

Picard sighed with exaggerated exhaustion. "I'm getting winded just hearing about it." Riker grinned. "Ordinarily we would, too, but we have a secret weapon: we visit Beverly at Starfleet Medical every time we're within transporter range of Earth. We've been seeing her for genetic rejuvenation treatments."

Picard nodded. "Ever since Starfleet assigned her to the Borg Rehabilitation Initiative, she's been performing one medical miracle after another by reverse-engineering Borg technology." He placed the empty cup of Earl Grey onto the table. "Originally, I was skeptical, but if anyone could find something redeemable from that odious, invasive hardware, it would be her."

Riker's eyes widened in amazement. "Last time I saw her, I played three rounds of Parrises Squares with Thaddeus and wasn't even sore afterwards. She says the full potential of this technology could double the ordinary human lifespan. We might even give the Vulcans a run for their money."

Picard cocked an eyebrow at Riker's enthusiasm. "Really? Well, next time I visit her for breakfast tea, I'll tell her I'm having what you're having." Troi smiled and calmed her exuberant husband down with a playful pat on the shoulder.

After a soft chuckle, Troi turned to Picard. "And what about you, Jean-Luc? What is your plan for after Starfleet?" Riker gave an exuberant nudge on Picard's elbow. "Come on. What are your plans after this mission is done? It's no secret that you've turned down the Admiralty. Are you going to go back to your family vineyard on Earth or do you have bigger goals in mind? I can see it now: Jean-Luc Picard, President of the United Federation of Planets."

Picard waved his hand and gave a half-hearted scoff at the question. "No, you shouldn't expect my candidacy, at least not yet. And the vineyard can wait until another day, it's in good hands." Troi smiled thinly as her eyes continued to inspect Picard's weathered face. "Then, what are your plans?"

Picard tightened his lips before giving a heavy sigh. He turned away from his friends and stared into the writhing arc of blue and white light caused by the Titan's warp field. He was reminded of a similar energy ribbon over twenty five years ago which allowed him to meet another legendary captain of the Starship Enterprise.

"The best advice I ever got concerning my career was to always make a difference." Picard's voice was somber. "Originally, that advice meant staying on the bridge of the Enterprise. But when the prospect of peace with Romulus came up after our run-in with Shinzon, I realized that serving as Captain contradicted that goal. Right now, serving as ambassador seems like the best fit. It's the best way I can use my talents to benefit the most people. Anything after that, depends on what happens in this mission."

The hatch to his quarters hissed open as Edala stepped in with the sleeves of her off duty Romulan robe elegantly draped over a collection of padds she held to her chest. Her entrance caught Picard's eye. "What we do in the next couple of hours will change the course of the galaxy. Who knows which course the winds of destiny will take us when we get to Romulus. I may stay on as ambassador. The aftermath of the supernova will doubtlessly cause interstellar problems requiring my expertise. The thought of serving as Commandant at Starfleet Academy has crossed my mind a few times. And yes, Will, if I feel the situation demands it, you might see my candidacy for galactic public office some day."

Picard turned to look at his young Romulan aide in her piercing brown eyes. "Or, perhaps the Federation will name me as the special envoy to the Romulan Empire. As the final words of my destiny are written, their prose will all depend on how much of a difference I can make. And although I'm 92 years old, I feel like I can still do a lot." Edala smiled as she came forward with her padds. She had just received the top secret files sent over from Starfleet Intelligence.

Riker rose up mischievously. "Whoops, top secret. I know what that means; for your eyes only, Jean-Luc." He reached out and shook the hand of his friend and mentor for over thirty years. "I hope those 'winds of destiny' as you called them bring us together again, soon." The two men paused for a moment to let the gravity of those words sink in. Although they would speak to each other again, there would not be another moment like this during their voyage. The mission would not allow it.

Within the next six hours, Picard would be fully briefed on the crisis and transferred to Romulus to negotiate a treaty. The Titan would then be tasked with transporting the senior leadership of the Romulan Senate to Earth to finalize their alliance. "And speaking of which, we've just received word that the U.S.S. Destiny has just been dispatched to pick you and your aide up from Romulus and will lead the evacuation fleet to the resettlement zones."

Picard's face lit up in surprise. "The Destiny?! Isn't that the new Outrigger class ship?" Riker smiled. "The very same! It's a deep space exploration vessel, your kind of ship. It's the fastest one in Starfleet but it is a little light on defenses so don't get into too much trouble." A smirk rippled across Picard's face. "I'll just have to keep an open channel with you, Number One."

At this point the trio of officers who had known each other for most of their careers embraced each other. Troi kissed Picard on the cheek. "Hearing your goals is an inspiration, Jean-Luc. I can only hope to have half of your ambition at your age." Picard smiled and leaned in to whisper a secret into his confidant's ear. "If you keep seeing Dr. Crusher, I have a feeling you'll have double my ambition and stamina." Troi returned his comment with a tender smile.

After Picard saw his two former shipmates out of the quarters, he turned to Edala who was still patiently standing by the table. "Well, Edala, my dear. With the galaxy changing right before our very eyes, we have much work to do." He joined his aide at the curved steel table and began their briefings. With the Federation's most noted diplomat at his desk, Edala went to the replicator for a Romulan mate tea and another round of Earl Grey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second greatest cardinal sin the writers committed in Star Trek: Picard was failing to properly explain in the show itself what the Enterprise-E crew has been doing since “Nemesis.” The greatest sin was converting the Star Trek universe into a depressing dystopia. 
> 
> If CBS All Access had included a scene like this at the beginning of the show, it would’ve done wonders for building the Picard-era Star Trek universe. 
> 
> Instead, the absence of a scene like this —and the cynical decision of having Troi and Riker appear at the end of the season to keep fans subscribed for as long as possible— makes this universe painfully anemic.


	5. Episode 1, Chapter 4: The Better Angels of Our Nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Picard negotiates with the Romulan Senate to save a civilization from cataclysmic destruction.

Chapter 4: The Better Angels of Our Nature

The Planet Romulus, Stardate: 74998.5

On Romulus, every constellation was named after beings of great martial renown. The planet's North Star, M'Jad translated into "glory" glistened in the night sky like a golden ingot. In Romulan culture, the ingot rested in the outstretched arm of the mythical Romulan hero Whakatu. Whakatu's fame was well known in the Romulan and ancient Vulcan cultures. His great military discipline and strategy united the earliest of Romulan-kind when their species evolved back on Vulcan.

Ironically, Romulus' South Pole was directly in line with a distant quasar which had twinkled incessantly since the Romulan core was forged in the cosmic sea. Local Romulans attributed oscillating light to the blade belonging to the assassin, Ura'pai: Whakatu's sister. Her treachery helped her brother conquer the Southern continent on planet Vulcan but Whakatu's vanity prevented her from getting the respect she deserved. When Whakatu's officially commissioned history of his empire erased her from the narrative, Ura'pai plotted her revenge. One night after a feast in Whakatu's honor, Ura'pai moved to embrace her brother, the Chief of the Southern Vulcan Empire, and gouged his heart with a blade hidden in her wrist. She ruled the empire for the rest of her 200 earth-year lifespan.

This historical account, long forsaken by Vulcan's more rational heirs, became the founding parable for Romulan culture. Conquest is strength. Deception is wisdom. Growing these two balanced skills became the cornerstone of every true believer in the Empire.

From these two points of the sky, a pantheon of Romulan cultural heroes traversed the heavens: spies, hunters, saboteurs, toxicologists. But this fateful night, dozens of new constellations adorned the night sky in the Romulan Capital City. The running lights of every major transport in the Romulan Empire and Starfleet peppered the eternal void twinkling latices of light and shadow. The warp trails of fleeing Romulan vessels carved a latticework of blue and green lights. Unlike the rest of the constellations resting in the heavens, these represented the start of a new era in Romulan History.

While the warm breezes caressed the webbing of vines and palm leaves around the Imperial Senate, the climate inside the ornate columns and scalloped arches was anything but tranquil .A chorus of three dozen angry Romulan and Federation dignitaries clashed in discordant harmony. In the center, the Federation's chosen diplomat to the Romulan Star Empire standing with palms outstretched hoping to keep two unstoppable waves from colliding with each other. When the jeers crescendoed into an intolerable roar, Picard silenced the masses with his own voice.

"We must have order here! Every minute we waste is a thousand lives lost." Edala nodded softly as she made her way from her mentor to the most opulent chair in the chamber where her father, the Praetor rested in his long green flowing robes and scarlet sash. "We agree with you that the situation is dire, Picard. The supernova has annihilated at least three sectors of our territory in a matter of days. Where we disagree concerns your expectations."

The Romulan Science Minister, Ja'kai clad in a pressed silver gown with Mandarin collar rose from his desk with an authoritative tone which bordered on condescending. "Supernovae, like all natural phenomena in our galaxy, cannot travel faster than the speed of light. The Hobus Star System is twenty lightyears away. The fact that it is traveling faster than light suggests that the reaction is being aided by some sort of volatile exotic matter. We need to collaborate with your scientists to determine the nature of that matter to find a way to neutralize it."

The minority leader, dressed in a black tunic adorned with military honors criss crossing his shoulder pads, rose from the back row. "I agree. Furthermore, I demand more of an explanation as to how that Vulcan Ambassador of yours plans to contain this disaster. Our scientists know absolutely nothing about how you could absorb a supernova with artificial black holes. If the Federation Council were truly our ally, Picard, they would volunteer that information."

Picard nodded diplomatically. "Per our Federation Charter, the Vulcan Science Academy reserves the right to withhold sensitive data that could inflict irrevocable harm to the galaxy, if misused. Not even I have been fully briefed on how they plan to contain this blast. Rest assured, however, Ambassador Spock is galactically renowned for his unique solutions to scientific crises such as this one." Picard took a heavy sigh before his next statement. "Our proposal that we extend evacuations to all planets of the Romulan Star Empire. That way we can reduce the number of casualties. We have never seen a catastrophe like this one. Our data is constantly evolving…"

"Evolving!?" Ja'kai, the Romulan Science Minister's voice pierced the air with scalpel-like precision. "What else are you not telling us, Picard!?" The Commandant of the Tal Shiar Von'ya stepped forwards, his brow furrowed with fury. "It is awfully convenient that you are asking all of us to evacuate our territories until your Federation 'scientists' can 'contain' this supernova. How do we know you or your Klingon cronies don't plan to annex our territory while we are away?!"

Picard shot a glance at Edala who quickly rushed from her seat near the Praetorian throne and slid a padd on the desk next to him.

Picard's voice was sharp. "I am about to tell you everything I know." With a push of a button, a spreading column of light shot into the rotunda ceiling. In an instant, several lightyears' worth of sectors was replicated in the empty air above the quarreling statesmen. The tranquil blue replica of stars, planets and nebulae was accented with a violent orange ripple of light representing the supernova. At first, the ripple was sluggish, trudging along the pattern of clusters of light and erasing them in their wake. Picard traced the arc of the simulated supernova with his pointer finger. "This is how a normal supernova would operate. Mr. Minister, you would be correct."

He turned to his padd. "However," With the flick of his finger, the glacial ripple along the rotunda was replaced with a violent explosion of orange, red and yellow light. As the salvos of multicolored light hurdled across the digitally rendered map, Picard continued his narration. "The presence of some kind of exotic matter has propelled the supernova to adopt faster than light properties. A seemingly natural galactic phenomenon is now traveling at warp speed."

Picard punched a command on the padd accenting the coils of red light which branched out from the center of the blast. "Additionally, the supernova has devastated the subspace domain. This fracturing of spacetime not only prevents warp speed but is outpacing the supernova's blast wave. That is why we must fully evacuate every planet now; while we still have warp drive. Tomorrow will be too late."

He pushed another button on the padd and smaller yellow waves preceded the big orange arc of the supernova. Picard identified the waves as eddes of toxic cosmic radiation that is now preceding the supernova. "This radiation is the first wave of the supernova. Our scientists calculate that all life will be extinguished on a planet within ten minutes of exposure. After that, the blastwave will destroy the planet. Then the supernova somehow converts the devoured matter into fuel to continue the explosion. We suspect this to be an effect of the exotic matter which is related to the blast."

The Romulans sat dumbfounded by the holographic display of universal armageddon. Picard seized this rare moment of silence to solidify his point. He addressed Commodore Von'ya stationed by the door. "Sir, correct me if I'm wrong, but a squadron of yours abruptly lost warp power in Sector 731 halfway between Romulus and the Hobus Star System." The Commodore's sharp nod jingled the epillets on his shoulders. "They have fallen victim to the first wave of the supernova. Two of our Fast Frigates have been dispatched to retrieve your crew using long range transporters. When we retrieve them, they will be safely transported to Federation space."

Commodore Von'ya bit his lip before responding. "Those are Romulan operatives. Romulans should have retrieved them. We will not allow our sovereign men and women to be taken into Federation Space as prisoners." Ignoring the rhetoric, Picard continued. "They are not prisoners. And I apologize for the optics but their rescue was a calculated risk. Their firsthand reconnaissance is vital for our scientists to study and contain the blast. They can be reacquired after the evacuation is complete."

Von'ya rose in disgust and jabbed an accusatory finger at Picard. "You say 'evacuation,' I say 'surrender.' Your plan is a thinly veiled plot to destroy our way of life. We have the intelligence to prove it." Picard raised an eyebrow. "If you would clarify, Commodore; to what intelligence are you referring?"

Von'ya scoffed. "You may be a skilled actor, Picard, but your Federation Council has given you a bad script. We know about that former Borg of yours. What's her name? Isn't it Seven of Nine." A murmur filled the crowd on the Federation side before Von'ya continued. "We know she has been involved in some top secret energy project here on Romulus. Could she be responsible for manufacturing some of that 'exotic matter' you're talking about? Hmm…?"

Picard's fingers tightened as his piercing eyes returned the Commodore's accusation. "I can assure you that whatever Annika Hansen's actions have been, they are not indicative of Federation policy in any way, shape, or form." He turned to the Praetor sitting behind him. "In fact, she is under investigation by our Intelligence communities. When she is found, her full debriefing will be yours to examine."

Commodore Von'ya bared his teeth in a menacing smile. "Our Intelligence agency, the Tal Shiar, is also looking for her Picard. I hope for your sake, your agents get to her before ours do. The Tal Shiar prides itself on its handling of traitors to the Empire."

At this point, a glower of disgust overcame Edala's face as she made her way from her father's desk to the center of the Senate Floor. "This is getting us nowhere! If you do not trust Picard because he is a Terran, then trust me. I am a Romulan! I am born of this land. My parents are upstanding citizens in the Empire. I have seen the top secret files that the Tal Shiar would kill to have." With the air cleared and every eye in the chamber focused on the young Romulan woman, she continued. "Believe me when I tell you, we cannot wait. This threat is real and can very well destroy our civilization. We must take decisive action now before we are all dead. Do not tremble behind the coward's shield of denial and suspicion. If we leave now, we can rebuild. If we wait, it's genocide."

Picard gently placed a calming hand on his aide's wrist. "As an addendum to my esteemed apprentice's words, I would like to voice my own unique perspective." Picard then gestured back to Edala's father, who sat on the Praetor's throne. "Twenty years ago, I became the first Federation officer to stand on the hallowed floor of your Senate. Shortly after, my crew helped your government rid itself of a hideous despot. When your provisional leaders reached out for peace, I made it my life's work to bridge the gaps caused by centuries of distrust and hatred."

He turned back to the crowd of Romulans senators and Federation officers. "After I retired from my commission, I made it my mission to learn about your culture. I have learned your history, your myths, and your language. I have even become the mentor to your Praetor's daughter who will, when the time comes, lead your people with distinction.."

He glanced at Edala before he continued. "To quote a great leader from my planet, 'We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion might have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.' Your way of life is threatened on a magnitude that has never been recorded by any spacefaring civilization. It will destroy you, if you let it."

Picard gestured to the arched windows surrounding the chambers in a sweeping motion. "You have created an honorable culture. A civilization that needs to be preserved for the ages. When the supernova is contained, you can start anew. If we are fortunate, you can return to this very world. Either way, we will help you. We will both learn from the experience. Cooperation is the basis of what my culture is."

He turned to the Romulan half of the chamber. "I have studied your history. I know that every action you have done has been in the name of preserving your way of life. Survival is the most primal force in all sentient life. It is understandable. If your culture's turbulent past had been different, we would not be standing here. I know at the core of your being you have the desire to survive. You deserve that right. Your cleverness and insight must live on for future generations."

Picard's eyes tightened on Commodore Von'ya. "However, I know that we are imperfect. Sometimes our actions contradict with our beliefs. When an outsider offers you a hand in friendship, our passions can get the better of us. Survival instincts are circumvented by destructive prejudice. On that account, humans and Romulans are very much the same."

Picard turned to the Federation side of the Senate. "Critics may say that Romulans collaborating with the Federation will cripple both ways of life. They say our differences make us weak. They are wrong. Our differences make us strong. Your perspective will help us solve the galaxy's most pernicious issues in the future. That is what we want. Not conquest. Not subjugation. But cooperation."

Picard stood in the center of the Senate for his final words. "But collaboration only works when both sides participate." He turned to Edala and reached for his combadge. "We will return to our vessel and remain in orbit until dawn. Then, we must leave because it will no longer be safe to stay. I hope we will have the pleasure of your company upon our departure."

Picard placed the silver and gold insignia on his tunic and activated it. "Picard to Destiny," A tremor of concern pulsed through the crowd as Picard's hail was met with static. As Picard tried again, Edala cautiously made her way towards the window overlooking the Imperial Mall. As she approached the window, a Federation science officer motioned her away by waving at her with a tricorder.

A horrified expression was burned on both women's faces as they saw the luscious tropical vegetation instantly rot into crumbling mounds of black and gray ash. In a matter of seconds, the fertile green fields outside the Imperial Mall were reduced to a barren hellscape reminiscent of an asteroid.


	6. Episode 1, Chapter 5: The Death of Romulus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Picard and his Romulan aide Edala endure major cosmic destruction during the evacuation of Romulus.

Chapter 5: The Death of Romulus

Romulus was dying. The once plentiful menagerie of flora and fauna was murdered in the blink of an instant. As paradise plunged into a wasteland before their very eyes, the U.S.S. Destiny's Science Officer Svetlana Tereshkova read off the reports from her tricorder. "Ambassador, our timetables were off. I'm detecting lethal levels of Theta and Gamma Radiation."

Picard shot a sharp glance at Tal Shiar Commodore Von'ya who stood in the back of the chambers. "It's already starting." Tereshkova continued her analysis. "Apparently, the supernova gained momentum when it absorbed the Vax Star System. There was more fuel there than we thought."

Suddenly a loud klaxon filled the air as the windows framed by timeless imperial columns were now draped with thick metal plates serving as protective shielding. The last sight Picard had of the outside world was the black sky accented with a growing hue of yellow and orange. The klaxon continued as every window in the Senate was secured by the synthetic shielding. A second later even the doors were sealed shut by blast doors.

When the last shield was secured with a mechanical clank, Picard turned to his aide Edala. "What just happened?" Edala gave a foreboding sigh before explaining . "The Capitol is on lockdown, it's an old Dominion War countermeasure. This room is now the most secure location on the planet. In addition to the blast shields, we're protected by metaphasic shielding and an inhibitor network to prohibit beam-out and unsecured communications."

A distraught junior Starfleet officer rose from his seat. "Transport inhibitors?! We're dealing with the most destructive force in the universe, not the Jem Hadar!" His superior instantly sat the panicked ensign down and tried to console him. While a series of murmurs rippled through the crowd, Picard turned to the Praetor and his daughter Edala. "I am open to suggestions, Praetor Hei'sha."

Hei'sha nodded thoughtfully. "I will activate the fleet. Special order malja will prioritize our military leaders and their civilian families." Picard pulled out a padd indicating the rest of the planet. "We have orders to evacuate any surviving civilians who are sheltered in place. With your permission, we can beam them up." Edala turned to her father. "We can use the Imperial Broadcast Network to sound evacuations." Hei'sha nodded as he looked around the halls of the Senate. After taking a final glance as Romulus' final Praetor, he turned to his daughter. "Do it."

Picard handed Hei'sha the padd. "I need you to authorize the operations before we begin." A small cylinder with a microscopic needle popped out of the padd's base. Hei'sha pricked his thumb on the needle causing a small trickle of green blood to fill the small canister. A small hiss of the internal hypospray sealed the punctured skin. Picard took the padd and shook Hei'sha's hand. "Pleasure to have you as an ally, Praetor. Now, point me to the nearest secure uplink."

Pandemonium ensued in the Imperial Senate as Starfleet and Romulan personnel attempted to make their plans for evacuation. Every available tabletop housed an army of padds projecting Federation and Romulan evacuation strategies. Small arguments ensued as Starfleet captains warned that the Romulans evacuation routes were too conservative and their relocation centers would fall within the blast zones of the supernova.

Picard followed Edala to the secured uplink behind the Praetor's desk and plugged in his combadge. With a delicate tap, he activated the device and hailed the Destiny once again. "Captain Shani Ukwell speaking. We read you, Ambassador."

As Picard explained his situation to the captain of the Destiny, Edala turned to her father. The two were silent. Hei'sha was a seasoned soldier with decorated campaigns spanning the quadrant both alongside and against the Federation. After the Battle of the Bassen Rift when the Enterprise-E defeated Shinzon, Hei'sha's Praetor predecessor, he predicted a turning point in the relationship between Earth and Romulus. After centuries of turbulent distrust and occasionally full scale war, a new era was now at hand in which both embraced a hopeful future in which Terrans and Romulans prospered.

While it was too late for him to fully enjoy the radical changes a possible alliance would have with the Federation, his daughter was just the right age to take her place as a new generation of Romulans sought peace with their historic enemy. Edala, much like her mother, jumped at the idea of making history and enthusiastically applied to the Federation Romulan exchange that her father and Picard had brokered.

With the Romulan and Starfleet personnel arranging evacuation details, Edala turned to her father. "What about Mother?" Hei'sha sighed. "Don't worry, she's aboard our vessel. That was the first thing I did." Edala smiled as she embraced her father to thank him. With everything he ever knew crumbling before his eyes, all the Praetor could do was nod.

Finally, Hei'sha turned to Edala and Picard for instructions as the latter shook his head in disbelief. "Even with the inhibitors deactivated, the ionic interference and the multiphasic shielding surrounding this building prevents a normal beam-out. We're gonna need to drop the shields for anything to leave this room, and..." Picard turned his eyes to the top of the rotunda. "They're going to need visual contact to ensure that every ship can safely lock onto each evacuee."

Hei'sha grimaced while Edala muttered a curse in her mother tongue. Picard turned to the five score of transporter targets busying themselves about the fortified hall. "Well, the longer we wait, the closer the supernova gets." Picard made his way towards the masses of passengers to issue his orders.

As Picard's booming voice echoed throughout the cavernous chamber, Hei'sha scanned the Romulan Senate one last time. Tears welled into his eyes as he finished his inspection. He turned to his daughter. "Well, zahra, this is the end." Hei'sha took his daughter back into his arms. "This is the last day of the Romulan Empire." After returning her father's embrace Edala gently pushed back and stared at her father directly in the eyes. "No! No, this is not the end, baba. This is a new era for our people. None of this would have been possible without your leadership." She turned to the raucous Senate Floor. "We will build again. It will be different but we will prevail."

The Praetor nodded and adjusted a couple hairs that strayed from his otherwise immaculate bowl shaped haircut. "We will, my daughter, we will." He then turned to his desk and took the banner which bore the emblem of the Romulan Empire. With the disciplined skills of his time as a Brigadier in the Imperial Guard he folded the standard and placed it under his right arm. He then reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a small object. He made sure no one in the Senate chambers saw him remove it.

With the Romulan seal safely secured, Hei'sha approached the Federation's venerable ambassador. The first group of 20 Romulan and Starfleet personnel made their way up the stairs to the top of the rotunda. Von'ya issued instructions that the senior officers -both Starfleet and Romulan- would stand in the center of the transporter formation while junior officers and enlisted would stand outside and shield their superiors by letting the radiation hit them first. "If you do not survive, we will honor your sacrifice with our survival." Von'ya's voice carried a sobering chord only a combat veteran could strike. Picard bit his lip. Those instructions were not exactly out of the Starfleet manual, but then again neither was evacuating an entire Empire from a supernova.

He turned to Hei'sha. "The Titan is slated to escort your vessel Romulus One to Earth so we can complete the finer points of our alliance." Hei'sha nodded his understanding as Picard took a reluctant deep breath. "Her Captain has offered to save your vessel the risk of atmospheric flight by personally transporting you aboard. It is a longer and more hazardous approach but the Captain believes the Titan can handle it better than your Capital Ship." Hei'sha shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Ambassador but I must decline. We Romulans are creatures of duty and during the last moments of our planet we will execute those orders to the letter." Picard nodded while conveying a mixture of diplomatic understanding and relief that his former first officer and family would not be risking their lives on a dangerous maneuver.

The ground began to shake as Hei'sha turned to the stairwell. Tereshkova followed them up the stairs with tricorder in hand. After briefly introducing herself, she delivered her report. "Ambassador Picard, the supernova has breached the Romulan system. Its gravitational pull within striking distance of the Romulan sun, we need to go now." Picard nodded and slowly made his way towards the stairwell with Edala. In his final moments on the Senate Floor, Hei'sha turned to his Praetorian Throne, placed a clenched fist to his breast and bowed with a traditional Imperial Salute. When his eyes returned to gaze at the chair, he had paid his final respects.

The four evacuees scaled the stairwell to the top of the rotunda. When the group finally arrived at the top of the rotunda, Tereshkova gave her briefing by providing commentary on a group of Romulans beaming out. "Beam out has to take five seconds." The squad of Romulans formed a line by the hatch as a Romulan commando programmed nearby the control panel. The commando mouthed a countdown from three seconds and then activated the sequence. A mechanical whirl filled the air as hatchway hissed open long enough for the squad of Romulans and their commando to sprint out onto the patio. When the hatch slammed back into its shut position, Tereshkova toggled the control panel to show what was going on outside.

They had two second to spare for the hatchway to open. Now the Romulans had two seconds to get into the regulation formation for beam out. The squad fell in the octagonal shape with ease and properly measured their distance by stretching out their right arm. The churning orange and black sky was tinted with the vibrant indigo hue of the building's metaphasic shielding. The last second was the most crucial. It involved distorting the shield harmonics just enough to allow a transporter beam to extract the passengers without causing the shields, and the building, to collapse.

As cued by the programmed control panel, the blue haze flickered. In that split second, several of the outside Romulans winced in pain as lesions of agonizing burns spiderwebbed across their cheeks and hands. For the plebe directly facing the display, the pain was overpowering. Despite her training to withstand a myriad of physical torment, the nearly lethal amount of radiation was too much for the young sergeant at arms. Unable to withstand the pain any longer, the young Romulan collapsed by falling on her side just as the twinkling green and white arcs consumed her body. The young casualty's glistening mixture of energy and dissolving matter struck his comrade on the right. Like two drops of rain on a window pane, the two originally independent bodies merged into one horrifying mixture of energy and organic matter before disappearing in a monstrous burst of energy.

A split second later, the feed to the patio was replaced with a series of command prompts in Romulan. Tereshkova brushed back her golden blonde hair as she inspected the control panel. "And I don't have to tell you to maintain a regulation transporter distance." She started programming the sequence as she continued her instructions. "With this tight a transporter beam anything sent up that isn't within regulation is going to get spliced." She plugged in her tricorder to translate the prompts from blocky Romulan characters to Federation lingua franca.

As Tereshkova coordinated her evacuation plan with the captains of the Destiny and the Praetorian Capital Ship designated Romulus One, Picard turned to his protege and her father. "Given the current circumstances, my dear, I entirely understand if you would like to join your family back on Earth." Edala glanced at her father who emphatically shook his head. "The Empire takes precedence over family. It always has. Although the mission is the same, our duties will differ. My duty will be on Earth finalizing peace with your government." He gently turned to his daughter and grasped her hand. "Yours, zahra, will be with Picard writing the new chapter of our people's story." Edala smiled while Tereshkova unplugged her tricorder from the control panel and faced the final living people on Romulus. "It is time."

Everyone in the antechamber took a deep breath as the finality of those words sunk in. Tereshkova activated her combadge and signalled the Destiny. She tracked the ship's atmospheric flight path on her tricorder screen. Suddenly, a separate set of telltales flooded the screen. "The shields are still holding but the radiation levels are spiking exponentially. There's no guarantee they'll hold in time for the beam out." As the Destiny's perilous trajectory returned to the small display, Tereshkova took a deep breath and muttered a small pep talk for herself in Russian. Before Picard could understand the words, she started to count back from twenty.

When she counted fifteen, placed the opened tricorder by her side. Her right thumb rested next to the button which would lower the building's shields for transport. At ten seconds, Tereshkova 's left pointer finger hovered over the controls to open the hatchway. As seven, she glanced to Picard and Edala while indicating their beam out position on the glowing camera feed from the observation deck. During the final five seconds, her heels cocked upwards like a runner on the blocks. At four, she bowed her head. With their last three seconds fleeting away, Edala took her father's hand in hers and gave it one last squeeze.

"One," A momentous clunk filled the air as the activated control panel flung the airlock open. A searing wave of heat and blinding light flooded the foyer. Shielding their eyes from the cosmic inferno, the Imperial Senate's final inhabitants ran onto the observation patio with Tereshkova leading the way. In that moment, the group split into their respective boarding groups. Picard, Edala joined their guide to the Destiny.

"Shielding will go offline at my signal. It won't come back. Shield your eyes during the beam out." Tereshkova 's instructions were seasoned with a tone of finality. If anyone so much as glanced beyond the patio when the shields collapsed, it would be the last sight they would ever see. As a 92-year-old Terran, Picard complied. He was in no condition to disagree.

While Picard surrendered to his biological limitations, Edala and Hei'sha on the other hand looked on. Much like with Vulcans, their Romulan bodies could handle the excessive light courtesy of protective eyelids which shielded their corneas. While this difference in biology would not protect their cells from the unfathomable amount of radiation blasting the planet, they did not mind. As the last living members of their species on the planet, they were charged by posterity to remember their ancestral home's final moments.

They looked over the balcony and saw the ruins of their capital city crumble before their unbelieving eyes. Aqueducts which channeled water a thousand kilometers in every cardinal direction were now bleeding steam in all directions. The water they bled never touched the searing air. Marketplaces which once housed luscious gardens of vibrant fruits and delicacies were now smoldering ruins. Marble stone now crumbled like charcoal. Ash wafted from the fallen bodies of civilians who were blasted by the first wave of radiation.

Tears welled in their eyes as they gazed upon the Great Forum. The singular point on the planet from which all communication, transportation, and resources flowed was now melting before their eyes. Arcs of synthetic lightning crackled across the shattered promenade from broken communication relays. The Praetorian Fountain which fueled the aqueducts was a scalded cauldron of embers. The once endless spring of water was now extinct. The most horrifying sight to behold was the scant remains of the once golden Imperial Seal slithering down from their pedestal towards the blanched depths of the former water spring.

Edala shot a glance at Hei'sha as the tears had finally flowed down his cheeks. Before she could say anything to her father, Tereshkova gave her final order. "Stand by," A second later, her thumb deactivated the shield. The ground shook wildly as the shield's blue protective haze finally evaporated. Picard and Tereshkova locked their jaws in pain as their cells were assaulted with the first wave of poisonous radiation. As her own skin burned with searing heat, Edala shortened her breath and stared helplessly at the skies. Salvation would have to come within the next second or they would be lost with their doomed world.

At first glance, the prospect was hopeless. The once darkened sky adorned with gleaming stars was now replaced with teaming tides of celestial fire. Orange and red currents traversed the entire sky as yellow tendrils continued their cosmic conquest. Outlines of fleeing spacecraft raced across the turbulent waves. In that split second, Edala hoped that one of their long range transporters could recover them from her dying world.

In that moment, the simmering patio was shaded with the outline of two starships. The first craft Edala could identify was the long and arcing wings of Romulus One, the Praetorian Capital Ship that was sent to retrieve her father. As a halcyon class vessel, the ship's massive wingspan essentially blocked out the lightyear destroying supernova for an instant. Its narrow triangular shaped bow pierced the chaotic atmosphere as waves of light shot out from its forward disruptor bank to locate its Praetor.

While the halcyon traversed skies, every one of the eight dozen disruptor banks outfitted on its wings were trained on its escort, a Federation vessel. The maneuver was a force of habit. The final act of incredulity against a former enemy. With a single blast from each of the halcyon's disruptor banks, the U.S.S. Destiny would be eviscerated into atoms.

As her mentor shielded his eyes from the onslaught of lethal light surrounding him, Edala looked towards the smaller Federation vessel which would serve as her hod. Like its ancient Polynesian namesake, the Outrigger Class bore an inverted aesthetic from the traditional starship design. Its primary hull, or saucer, ran along the ventral side of the vessel. Its stardrive rested just above the saucer's aft portion. The ship's glowing pair of red impulse engines in the aft module served as the critical junction between the saucer and stardrive.

Continuing her departure from traditional Starfleet specifications, the Destiny carried three warp engines instead of the customary two or four. The first two ran underneath the vessel's inverted saucer. The spearhead tip of the engine glistened like a burning ember as it channeled unthinkable amounts of energy to the radiant blue beams of light and matter running aft.

The third nacelle branched out like a fin on the dorsal side of the vessel intending to be a sail to propel the vessel across the stars. While the engineering superstructure was mounted on the topside stardrive, a narrow collection of rectangular modules ran along the saucer's dorsal keel culminating in its bridge about a third of the way aft from the bow. On the bow, the curve of the saucer sloped into a deflector dish which churned with a ceaseless blending of blue and green energy.

As the two vessels made their flyby, Edala turned to her father who returned her gaze. With a glowing smile, she reassured her father that everything was going to be alright. Hei'sha nodded somberly, his cheeks still damp from tears. He then averted his gaze to the ruined world at his feet. In the next instant, Romulus' final evacuees were whisked away from the planet's surface in a shimmer of light.

An instant later, the only evidence that humanoid life ever inhabited the vacant Romulan Senate was the silhouettes of the two humans and two Romulans who stood there. Their shadows permanently etched into the precious stones by the volley of cosmic radiation.


	7. Episode 1, Chapter 6: The Line of Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Destiny must retool the laws of physics to evade a galaxy destroying supernova.

Chapter 6: The Line of Fire

U.S.S. Destiny, NCC-4172020, Transporter Room 1

Chaos ran rampant through the usually ordered transporter room. The cavernous octagonal chamber was bathed in the signature crimson light cast from the red alert beacons. Discordant synthetic shrieks from the klaxons echoed through the vault in an acoustical assault on the five crew members inside the room

Beads of sweat glistened on the brow of the transporter chief as he feverishly zeroed in his instruments on the three targets standing on the Senate's observation deck. His fingers glided along the touchscreen panels with ample precision. As the three sets of crosshairs narrowed in on the organic biosigns, he prayed that the ship would not hit turbulence. Given the toxic amounts of radiation, the margin for error was zero. One bump in the flight and the sensors might miss the target and beam up fragments of rock and atmosphere instead. With a tight flyby like this one, there would not be another chance to retrieve the Destiny's would-be passengers.

As the transporter chief confirmed the precise calculations for beaming up Picard, Edala and Tereshkova , the four medical personnel inside the transporter room were busy at work. They were led by a man with a striking muscular build. His tanned complexion displayed a descendant of wayfinders who traversed the Pacific. The pips on his color indicated his rank as a Commander. He was Doctor Joseph Kakua, the Destiny's Chief Medical Officer. As his three nurses unpacked radiation kits to treat the arriving passengers for intense burns, Dr. Kakua opened up a silver case which held a series of small devices about the size of a combadge.

As he pulled each device from the case, he scanned it with his medical tricorder and then got a biological baseline for each recipient. The device was a radiation shield. It was reverse engineered from Borg technology and an emergency transporter unit. Once calibrated to the proper physiology of its host, the device would protect biological tissue against caustic radiation and would also minutely repair any pre-existing radiation damage.

He issued one to a Vulcan nurse and then another to a human and a Deltan. Then, all eyes turned on the transporter chief as he finalized the beam out calculations. Dr. Kakua quickly walked up to the transporter chief. "Destiny to Tereshkova , stand by for beam out. It's gonna be tight." The transporter chief's voice was tense as his fingers hovered over the three energizing switches.

"E, Chief," Dr. Kakua's voice bellowed the ancient tone that his Hawaiian ancestors used to get each other's attention. "Put this on before you energize," He tossed the chief the small device with the prongs facing up. The device sailed through the air and landed in the chief's right hand. "Thanks, Doc," In one fluid motion, the transporter chief slapped the device right above his combadge with his right hand and confirmed the coordinates in the computer. "No pilikia, brah," That phrase was Dr. Kakua's favorite expression. Pilikia in Hawaiian meant problem and as a physician he dedicated his life to alleviating as much pilikia in his patients' lives as possible.

The mood became tense as the chief hovered his three fingers over the corresponding energizing switches. "Hang on everyone, this is going to get rough." Before anyone could respond to the chief's warning a blinding cascade of blue and silver light tumbled through the transporter chamber. Three columns rapidly took shape as Picard, Edala and Tereshkova were reconstructed atom by atom from the planet's surface.

As the last trace of energy fluttered off their shoulders, the three passengers began to tremble. Latticed lesions of radiation burns and charred skin stretched across Picard's hands and scalp. Tereshkova 's right cheek and palms were scorched with similar wounds. Edala shivered as small streams of green blood trickled down from her eyebrows and jaw. Although they were only unprotected for a split second, the supernova's cosmic blasts had done their damage. The three travelers would be dead within the next minute. But Dr. Kakua had other plans.

With military precision, the small squad of medics swarmed the transporter chamber. The Vulcan nurse quickly steadied Edala's crumbling body before it struck the deck. Dr. Kakua cradled Picard's swaying body as his head tilted upwards, his eyes rolling backwards. The Deltan nurse caught Tereshkova and gently placed her on the floor.

The deck plates lurched as the Destiny started its ascent from the Romulan atmosphere. Medical kits clattered across the floor with the nurses tumbling after them. Dr. Kakua clutched Picard's limp body and gripped the edge of the transporter platform with all his strength. As the ship leveled out, he quickly popped open his medkit and began giving instructions for his nurses to revive the rest of the boarding party.

The nurses quickly triaged their patients with a quick tricorders scan and then loaded their hyposprays with the appropriate medicine. Dr. Kakua followed suit with Picard. As soon as he read Picard's bio-readout, Dr. Kakua loaded a hypospray with a modified form of arithrazine and placed the applicator to Picard's neck. The small hiss triggered a series of trembles from Picard's once lifeless limbs. With wide eyes and a gasping mouth, Picard flew back into consciousness. His hands feebly grabbed Dr. Kakua's shoulder to steady him. As torrents of fresh air filled Picard's lungs, his doctor instructed him to stay still.

"Ambassador, you just had a brush with the most destructive force in the universe, please stay still while I patch you up." Dr. Kakua reached into his medkit and pulled out a dermal regenerator. The surgeon brushed the wave of red light over Picard's burnt skin like a paintbrush. Each stroke replaced a layer of charred flesh with rejuvenated skin. Considering the second degree burns the supernova inflicted, Dr. Kakua needed about two dozen strokes to properly recover his patient.

As the superficial wounds were healed in a matter of seconds, Picard looked over to Edala's flaccid frame. The Vulcan nurse had attached a series of stabilizing devices to her forehead and neck. With two clicks of her tricorder, the nurse sent a surge of electrical energy through Edala's nervous system. When the first pulse failed to revive Edala, the nurse amplified the surge of electricity with her tricorder. Still nothing.

With one final push, the nurse set the devices for maximum voltage and pressed the button. With an audible crackle, a miniature lightning storm struck Edala's body. Her piercing brown eyes flung open as her limbs convulsed. The horrifying expression on her face ebbed with one final gasp. The Vulcan steadied her evolutionary kin by placing her hands on Edala's face to stabilize her thoughts. In those soothing seconds, Edala's frantic expression subsided and was replaced with a serene smile.

As Edala slowly propped herself up, the Vulcan nurse apologized for her inefficiency in reviving her patient. The nurse disclosed that she had overlooked the Reman aspects of Romulan physiology. The extra endoskeletal plates which protected Edala's vital organs had made the first electrical blasts ineffective. Edala nodded slowly. "It's okay." Edala's voice was hoarse. "I'm just glad you did your homework. I'd imagine Romulan anatomy can't be found in any Starfleet medical textbooks."The Vulcan nodded sharply. "Not yet, ma'am." The nurse's voice was peppered with an assuredness that the problem she mentioned would be resolved soon.

Edala turned to Picard who had mostly recovered from the radiation burns to his body, save for the back of his hand. As Dr. Kakua took the dermal regenerator to Picard's hand, the ambassador turned to his protege. "Very nice of you to join us, my dear," Picard coughed which caused Dr. Kakua to reflexively place a hypospray with a bronchodilator onto his neck. Picard thanked the doctor and turned back to Edala. "The ride could have been smoother." Edala admitted while gingerly moving her sore arms.

The entire ship buckled as the engines began to charge themselves for warp speed. Dr. Kakua's combadge chirped with a message from the bridge. "Bridge to Dr. Kakua, if able, please have the ambassador and his staff report to the bridge." Dr. Kakua sharply shook his head in disagreement and slapped his combadge in reply. "Bridge, the boarding party had a rough beam out, I'm confining them to…" Picard placed his hand over the combadge and voiced his protestations. "Oh, no you're not,"

Dr. Kakua's face wrinkled in a concerned frown. "Ambassador, you could've easily died a few seconds ago. You need rest." Picard shook his head. "If I don't deliver my orders to Captain Ukweli and oversee this evacuation process, we could all die." Dr. Kakua emphatically shook his head. "Ambassador, with all due respect, a man of your age and condition," Picard raised his hand. His voice was curt. "Halt your course right there, Doctor. I may be 92 years old, but I still got some strength left in me. These burns don't hurt nearly as bad as running the Academy marathon on Danula II. Thanks to your outstanding medical prowess, no doubt."

Picard lumbered his body upward using Dr. Kakua's shoulder for leverage. He took a few deep breaths before speaking. "Under normal circumstances, I'd agree with you, Doctor, but the galaxy is going to pieces and if I don't do something about it, so will the Federation."

When he finally got to his feet, Picard turned to Edala and Tereshkova who both had slowly staggered to their feet. Each of them began to make their way towards the exit for their posts. As his nurses packed their medkit, Dr. Kakua slung his own over his shoulder. "I see I'm out numbered here but it'll be a cold day on Io before I let the three of you out of my care after surviving a supernova." He turned to his nurses and ordered them to report to sickbay. A faint smile overcame Picard's face as he activated his combadge. "Picard to bridge, we're on our way."

The sterile steel hatch slid open with a familiar hiss. Dr. Kakua promptly led the way for the crew's new members down the white and gray hallway. As Picard hovelled after his caretaker, he inspected the familiar hexagonal architecture through which he was walking. Just like his first Enterprise an endless string of computer interfaces were accessible at waist level. A significant upgrade from Picard's Enterprise was the fact that the interfaces could project holographic prompts and readouts as the crew made their way along the passageway. Readouts could hover in midair one second and effortlessly reintegrate itself back into the bulkhead the next.

The hallway pulses with endless waves of red light indicating that the ship was at Red Alert. Crew hustled their way down from one deck to the next as personalized instructions hovered in front of their faces. Picard glanced at the floating series of marching orders as Dr. Kakua summoned the turbolift. They all read the command: PREPARE FOR WARP. "Magnificent upgrades," Picard commented as he entered the opening doors for the turbolift. As the doors hissed shut, the entire ship lumbered forwards at its physics defying speed.

The Destiny was at warp but the supernova was not far behind them. The readouts in the turbolift depicted a seemingly endless cluster of dots on a galactic field of stars. Each dot signified a vessel: the blue were Starfleet, the green were Romulan. The orange arc of light that pursued them was the supernova which had recently devoured the planet Remus. A tense mood filled the turbolift as Picard turned to his aide. The first half of the mission was completed. Romulus was evacuated. The more crucial half -surviving and not containing the supernova- had yet to be accomplished.

Less than a minute later, the turbolift doors swung open allowing Picard, Edala, Tereshkova and Dr. Kakau to enter the bridge. As an Outrigger class vessel, the Destiny's bridge had an unique design but bore the strongest resemblance to its Sovereign class predecessor. A readout of the vessel glowed at the aft section of the bridge. Like every other computer readout, it could project a full holographic rendering if necessary. Each bridge officer operated the ship on two separate sets of consoles: one analog set of touchscreen buttons and the occasional lever along with a holographic set which could vanish and reappear at will. Every display indicated the supernova's proximity to the ship on at least one quarter of their controls.

At the center of the ship sat Captain Shani Ukweli from Mogadishu in the United States of Africa. As the helmsman announced that the armada was safely at warp, Ukweli directed the communications officer to synchronize transmission frequencies with the Romulans. She typed up a print out command to be issued to the Starfleet vessels. Despite her adherence to protocol, she spared a split instant to welcome Tereshkova back to the ship and her station.

With sprinting efficiency, Terershkova took her post in the science section in the portside aft side of the bridge with Dr. Kakua closely behind her. As she fastened herself into her seat, a holographic readout materialized in front of her showing the disturbing proximity of the supernova. "Captain, the supernova is currently holding speed. We can safely currently outrun the blast if the armada maintains a speed of warp 7.5."

"That's not a problem for the military vessels, but the civilian Romulan evacuees might need some help." Ukweli's voice was soothing but carried the weight of command. She turned to Picard and motioned for him to join her at the vacant second officer's chair to her left. Her Andorian first officer, A'kurn, conjured up a flight plan on a holographic display. "Captain, based on our last scans of the supernova, I recommend we follow the indicated approach. It will help avoid the subspace fissures that precede the blast."

As Picard fastened himself into the second officer's chair, he motioned for Edala to hand the Andorian an isolinear chip. "I have something better: the best intelligence in the United Federation of Planets. My aide can explain the particulars." A'kurn took the isolinear chip from Edala and thanked her by bowing his head and touching his blue antennae together. As she made her way to sit by the Destiny's tactical officer Lieutenant Ibrahim Al-Muzud, Edala explained that the program was an algorithm that extrapolated future subspace fissures from the supernova.

Lieutenant Al-Muzud received the young Romulan at his station with a respectful nod and activated the restraints around her waist. With a thankful smile, Edala began giving the tactical officer instructions for reconfiguring the shields to previously classified Romulan metaphasic specifications. As Al-Muzud looked at her calculations in astonishment he declared. "Top secret metaphasic shield modulations. I cannot tell you what my ancestors from the Romulan War would have done to get this information." Edala prompted the computer to accept her calculations with an emphatic slap of her palm and turned to the officer.

"Times have changed, Lieutenant. To paraphrase my mentor's favorite author, it's a brave new world. If we're all gonna get through this in one piece, both the Romulans and Federation have to work together. You got any secrets you want to tell me?" Edala turned to Picard with an ironic smile who returned her expression in kind. Shortly after the entire ship buckled as a surge of gravity struck the ship. Lights flickered as a small collection of sparks danced around the bridge. Ukweli turned to Tereshkova for a report.

Tereshkova frowned as she looked at her readouts. "The supernova has gained even more momentum after consuming the Romulan star system. The armada needs to accelerate to at least Warp 8.5 to maintain minimum safe distance." Before anyone could respond to Tereshkova's report, Edala declared that the civilian Romulan vessels could not exceed warp 8.

Ukweli placed her chin in her hand as she turned to Picard for guidance. It was her trademark move for when she asked her crew for their perspective. "We cannot abandon those civilian Romulan spacecraft," Picard's voice boomed with conviction. "Their loss could jeopardize the treaty we just signed and more importantly exacerbate an already catastrophic death toll." Ukweli responded to Picard's tone with a calmer one. "If we do not accelerate our speed, we could all die."

"Our vessel can reach warp 9.9998," A'kurn reminded his captain. Ukweli contemplated these options for an instant before addressing the science station. "Commander Tereshkova, start calculating solutions. Figure out a way to save the Romulan civilians without risking the fleet. Coordinate with Engineering if you must." Tereshkova's jaw dropped. "Captain, we cannot use transporters when both vessels are at warp. And if we drop out of warp to beam them all aboard, the supernova will overtake us."

Ukweli turned to her stunned science officer. "So, that solution won't work. Try another one." She turned to the tactical station. "Mr. Al-Muzud, how long do you calculate the Romulan civilian vessels can maintain course?" Al-Muzud scanned his console screens and indicated that they had less than five minutes. Ukweli turned back to Tereshkova. "The variables aren't ideal, Commander, but they're what we have."

"Aye, Captain," Tereshkova then bit her lip as she pulled up a series of schematics indicating energy output and the warp fields for all the ships in the refugee flotilla. As her science officer came up with calculations, Ukweli turned to Picard. "If she can't come up with a solution, you're going to need your galactically famous diplomacy to keep the Romulans on our side." Picard turned to Edala and sent her instructions via the console readouts to raise Romulus One. Edala nodded solemnly as she got up from her chair to the communications station.

Before Edala could complete her hail to her father's flagship, Tereshkova pounded her station and let out an ecstatic expression in Russian similar to a "Eureka!" She turned to her captain and explained her plan. If all the traveling vessels re-modulated their warp field to the same frequency and flew closer together, the resulting phenomenon would be one massive warp field. Theoretically every ship could travel the same velocity because they were in the same warp bubble. However, the cost of energy could be divided based on the type of vessels involved. The faster ships would produce more energy to offset the shortfalls of energy from the slower vessels. Tereshkova's face beamed with the joy of making one of the first discoveries of the 25th Century.

Picard turned to the ecstatic science officer for a clarifying question. "You are saying that the Starfleet vessels would be donating its own energy and warp field for the benefit of the slower Romulan civilian vessels?" Tereshkova nodded energetically. Picard dropped his jaw in astonishment as he turned to Captain Ukweli. "In all my years in Starfleet, I have never seen a scientific theory reflect a diplomatic policy so elegantly." Ukweli nodded in agreement. She turned to Tereshkova and ordered her to "make it so" in Swahili.

Tereshkova activated her combadge and hailed the Destiny's Chief Engineer Commander Miguel Sanchez. After she carefully explained her theory, Commander Sanchez gave his misgivings. "No, mames, Lieutenant! What you're asking me to do might overload the warp core." Tereshkova responded. "Ordinarily it would," she pressed a button on her display which transmitted the calculations down to the engine room. "But if every Federation and Romulan vessel is calibrated to the same warp field density, the energy output of the other vessels, especially the Federation ones, will balance the strain put on by our engines."

A brief pause filled the airwaves before Commander Sanchez spoke. "When you put it that way, it could work. So long as some of the Romulans pay their fair share of the pinche warp tax." An embarrassed grimace overcame Picard's face as he turned to Edala who just rolled her eyes. Ukweli activated her combage and came on the line. "Mr. Sanchez, you have less than ninety seconds to make the modifications before we lose the first wave of civilians to the supernova."

Sanchez quipped his response. "Mira, I'll get it done for you in forty five." Tereshkova ran her finger along the floating rendering of her equations to confirm her accuracy. "Double check your variables, Commander, if you are off by even a decimal point every ship in our convoy will be disintegrated by massive subspace tidal forces."

On the other end of the call in Engineering, Commander Sanchez found himself addressing a floating holographic interface as he orbited the ship's warp core. His tanned complexion and trimmed van dyke goatee seemed to inspect the equations personally through the display. He then sent the relevant variables to engineers manning other consoles in his domain with flicks of his fingers. Unlike most starships which housed two nacelles, the Destiny's unique three nacelle design required the warp core to be modified. A glowing sphere of churning matter and antimatter serves as the nucleus of the vast chamber which served as engineering. Orbiting the reacting chamber on the main deck was a series of containment pods for the matter and antimatter materials necessary for the ship's vital reactions. The central chamber was connected to these containment pods through a web of thick conduits which sprawled across the deck. A series of catwalks and Jefferies tubes were constructed above and below the main deck for maintenance purposes.

The biggest departure from standard starship design was the main conduits that branched out from the reaction chamber to the three engines. Whereas a traditional starship contained a single column which scaled several decks, the Destiny had three columns. The design best resembled a lambda or an inverted-y where two conduits branched out from the reaction chamber to the ship's ventral nacelles and the third branched up for the dorsal one. In this ship's most cavernous chamber, Sanchez executed Tereshkova's plan.

As he finished typing in the final variable to Tereshkova's equations, Sanchez heard Tereshkova's fatal warning about inaccurate variables. "No need to worry about that, chica. I've been working on starship engines since I was eight years old. I speak three languages: English, Spanish, and warp signatures." Suddenly, the holographic display in front of him morphed into a confirmation prompt with colors: red and green. As his finger hovered above the green, Sanchez gave a final retort to Tereshkova's warning. "Besides, science without engineering is just philosophy."

A deep electrical crackle filled the air as Sanchez touched the button labeled "execute." Thunderous pulses of light and sound began to shoot out of the reaction chamber in earnest as Sanchez activated a visual comlink to the bridge. "We're all set for you, Bridge."

Tereshkova turned to her calculations to quickly confirm Sanchez's claim and then signaled to the captain that they were ready. PIcard turned to Edala. "Have the Romulans been informed of our plan, Edala?" Edala nodded as she cupped her hand over the earpiece. Al-Muzud tapped a few prompts on his analog console. "Captain, aft shields have been drained by 15 percent due to the supernova's cosmic radiation. Shall I remodulate?"

Ukweli shook her head. "Stand fast, Lieutenant." The captain then glanced at Picard and Tereshkova to her left. "If this works, we'll be far enough away from the blast that it won't matter." Tereshkova gave a bright smile as Ukweli turned back to Al-Muzud. "And if it doesn't, no shield modulation in the universe could save us from a collapsing warp field and a devastating supernova." The helmsman, Ensign Standish piped in. "Captain, we estimate 30 seconds before the Romulan civilians have to drop out of warp." Ukweli nodded and turned to Edala. "All Romulan vessels ready to reconfigure warp signature at your command,"Ukweli turned to Picard. "Engage," Captain Ukweli ordered.

A visceral tremor pulsed through the bridge as the Destiny's engines re-modulated its warp field mid-flight. This galaxy-manipulating maneuver was dangerous enough without the hundred other vessels which were conducting the same task. A holographic display of the squadron materialized in front of the view screen in over nine dozen red dots. The Destiny was indicated as being up front with a flashing green light in a field of red.

As seconds passed by the lurches intensified. Deck plates began to squeal under the massive gravitational sheer. Lights began to flicker as consoles began to short out. With her console buckling beneath her, Tereshkova placed both hands on her display and gave her report. "Captain, what we are experiencing is the subspace turbulence caused by so many vessels synchronizing their warp signatures." An explosion burst behind her as jagged pieces of crystal pierced the air like shrapnel. Tereshkova winced as a handful of pieces jammed into her right shoulder blade. Dr. Kakau rose from his chair behind her and started treating her wound.

As the Destiny's hull continued to buckle, A'kurn grabbed his restraints. "If this is happening to us, I can only imagine what is happening to those Romulan civilian vessels." Al-Muzud punched up a holographic display of the civilian vessels and reported that the Romulan warbirds had successfully brought them in their warp field before synchronization began.

While the Destiny's bridge trembled around her, Ukweli stared at her viewscreen with steely-eyed determination. The convoy's display was now a mosaic of green and red dots with the former indicating a synchronized warp field. As more ships turned green, the holographic model transformed into an oval of a hundred undulating lines. With every passing second, a handful of lines began vibrating in unison and turned blue. As Dr. Kakua finished his work on her shoulder, Tereshkova gave her report. "I anticipate warp field synchrony in less than three minutes."

Suddenly, the entire bridge lurched with explosions ripping through every circuit on the ship. As the crew struggled to regain its bearings, a trilling klaxon filled the air. Tereshkova gaped in horror as she looked at the first readout that returned to her console. "But we're looking at a warp core breach in less than two."

With the Tereshkova activated her combadge to raise engineering. Sanchez's response was prompt. "Way ahead of you, Tereshkova. We're concocting our own solution to keep us from going up. Give me a link to your console." With the press of two button's Sanchez's face materialized on a floating holographic display overlooking Tereshkova's console. His expression was frazzled as his uniform was soiled from soot. The reaction chamber behind him glowed with a fire almost as bright as the supernova that pursued them.

Picard turned to Edala. "Are you absolutely sure the Romulans understood the proper equations and frequencies?" Edala placed her hand to her earpiece and started speaking in her native tongue. A'kurn bit his lip uncomfortably as he turned to his captain. "The doomed Romulan Empire gets final satisfaction by bringing down a Federation armada. Wouldn't that be something?" An infuriated expression overcame Picard's face as he turned from his Romulan aide to the Andorian. Before he could speak, Captain Ukweli gave her reprimand. "Stow those opinions in your quarters where they belong, A'kurn. They have no place on my bridge."

Picard nodded approvingly. "Well said,"

"The slower Romulan civilian vessels are putting too much of a strain on our warp field." Sanchez reported. "If we can figure out a way to reduce that strain, we got a chance. Otherwise..." His voice was cut off from an exploding conduit.

While Sanchez and Tereshkova compared calculations, Ukweli turned to Picard. "Which is the more diplomatic approach, Picard? Risk wiping out the evacuation fleet when our warp core explodes or cutting the slower vessels loose by accelerating speed?" Before Picard could respond, Sanchez responded over the comlink. "We don't need to do either one, Captain. We got a plan."

Tereshkova turned to the helmsman. "Helm, adjust our positioning in the armada's formation. Place us in the exact center." A look of befuddlement overcame the ensign before he complied with the order. As the ship slowly retreated from the front of the formation, Sanchez gave his explanation. "By repositioning ourselves to the center of the armada and reconfiguring the EPS conduits, we can continue to envelop the slower ships in our warp field without overheating the warp core."

Tereshkova interjected. "And if the supernova accelerates, this configuration will allow us to rapidly intensify our warp field more efficiently. With the civilian vessels so close, we can push them up to warp 9.5 without breaking a proverbial sweat."

Despite the new maneuver, the trilling klaxon continued to fill the air. Suddenly, an ominous red timer appeared in the corner of every screen on the bridge. An uncomfortable frown overcame Ukweli's face as she shot a glance at Tereshkova. "Why are we twenty seconds away from being atomized?"

Before Tereshkova could respond, Sanchez's voice piped in. "Stand by, bridge. I have to reconfigure our warp coils to match the harmonics of the Romulan vessels." Ukweli's frown became more pronounced. "How long will that take?" "Less than twenty seconds." Another explosion ripped through engineering which cast ripples across the deckplates. "Because at twenty-one seconds, we won't need no starship to fly through space."

When the timer dropped under ten seconds, Ukweli turned to Picard. "Looks like we made our choice." As Picard started to respond, the timer abruptly vanished from every screen. A soothing surge of light and sound pulsed through the bridge. A smile appeared on Picard's face as Sanchez's voice came over the comlink. "Bridge, I am happy to report that the warp coils have been reconfigured, the core is cooling down, and we are in no danger of going up in hellfire."

Ukweli smiled crookedly as she gave her response. "Your punctuality is deeply appreciated, Commander." Sanchez's holographic image at the science station twirled a fiber optic diagnostic tool with the same showmanship as a gunslinger in a fabled Old West epic. "For the record, the manual says adjusting our warp coils to mimic an alien signature takes at least ten minutes. Fortunately, I knew some shortcuts."

Picard chimed in on the comlink. "History will celebrate your ingenuity, Commander Sanchez." Sanchez shrugged. "No hay problema. This one was free. The next one will cost a stiff drink." When the comlink clicked offer, Picard turned to Ukweli. "One thing I've learned over the years is to never underestimate a creative engineer." Ukweli nodded deeply. "Words to live by, Picard."


	8. Episode 1, Chapter 7: Brave New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of the destruction of the supernova, Picard and the Destiny crew ponder its implications on the galaxy.

Chapter 7: Brave New World

Captain's Log U.S.S. Destiny, Stardate: 75000.1 The Destiny and the evacuation fleet have been at high warp for the last 36 hours. Thanks to the ingenuity of our Science Officer and Chief Engineer, more refugee vessels have joined our convoy as we make our way towards the Neutral Zone. As we approach the Federation border, we must confront the possibility that two galactic superpowers may fall victim to this destructive force.

The atmosphere of the Destiny's bridge was calm for the moment. Dr. Kakua returned to the bridge to check up on his three patients: Picard, Edala and Tereshkova. Between probing tricorder scans, Captain Ukweli, Edala and Picard discussed contingency plans for evacuating Federation planets from the supernova blast.

Picard solemnly shook his head. "The supernova is traveling too fast. Our analysts thought we had more time." Ukweli turned to Edala. "We may have to change our evacuation routes to accommodate more vessels joining the fleet. Please communicate that possibility to the Romulans."  
Edala nodded politely to Captain Ukweli as she made her way back to the Tactical Station to hail Romulus One. With the rest of the crew safely out of earshot, Ukweli whispered into Picard's ear. "Where is Ambassador Spock?" Picard shook his head. "Our timetables are no longer valid. Who knows how the Vulcan Science Academy has adapted to the changing supernova?"

Suddenly, as if on cue, a siren chirped from the helm at the front of the bridge. "Captain, I am reading an unidentified vessel on an intercept course bearing 005 mark 350." The helmsman's voice trembled as he turned to ask Ukweli for her orders. This time, Picard responded by promptly asking for the ship's appearance on sensor logs.

A map of the sector materialized in front of the viewscreen with a flashing white dot ripping across the space leaving a faint blue arc behind it. As the crew inspected the map, the helmsman continued to report the ship's telemetry. "It's traveling ridiculously fast. Easily over Warp 9.9."

Picard took a deep breath before asking the next question. "If you were to trace its trajectory, from what star system would you say the vessel most likely originated?" The helmsman pushed an extra set of controls causing the holographic map to expand to the entire quadrant. A series of arcs materialized on the screen which branched from every planet in the Federation. With dizzying speed, each arc materialized, was evaluated by the computer, and then vanished. Finally, one arc solidified on the map with a readout indicating an 85.9 percent probability. The line led directly to the Vulcan star system.

Before anyone could respond to the trace, another alarm sounded at the helm. "Captain, the unidentified Vulcan ship is altering course. It is heading straight towards the supernova." A series of murmurs filled the air from the majority of Starfleet officers who were not briefed on the mission to save Romulus from the supernova. Al-Muzud raised an eyebrow and turned to Ukweli. "Why would a Vulcan ship be heading towards the supernova?"

Before Ukweli could respond, Picard took charge of the situation. "Lieutenant, I'm afraid the answer to your question is far above your security clearance." Picard then turned to Ukweli and whispered. "It is imperative that the Vulcan ship completes its mission without the Romulans knowing about the technology it's carrying. If we fail, the consequences to the quadrant could be disastrous."

Ukweli nodded subtly before turning to the helmsman. "Mr. Standish, prepare to accelerate the armada to Warp 9." Before the helmsman could comply, a red dot appeared on the glowing holographic map. "Captain, I'm reading another vessel, potentially hostile, heading towards the supernova. It appears to be on an intercept course with the Vulcan ship." The helmsman's voice was panicked. Ukweli's piercing eyes show back at Picard's who unflappably asked. "Ensign, can you determine the vessel's configuration?"

The helmsman frowned. "It's difficult to tell, it appears to be some sort of hybrid." Ukweli responded. "A hybrid?" Picard curtly interjected. "What designs are present?" A series of readouts materialized around the helmsman in holographic form. "The vessel appears to be Romulan in origin but it has been enhanced with…" The helmsman turned to his captain and Picard. "Borg technology." Picard gave a heavy sigh before responding. "Analyze the vessel's configuration, Ensign. Would you say the vessel is an assimilated Romulan vessel or a Romulan vessel using disconnected Borg technology?"

"There hasn't been an assimilated vessel in the Alpha Quadrant in almost twenty years," Ukweli retorted. Picard turned to the Destiny's captain and whispered in a barely audible tone. "If it is an assimilated vessel, our mission profile just dramatically changed."

Picard's answer came in the form of a floating collection of holographic percentages and statistics. Seventy percent of the vessel was of Borg origin but it was not transmitting any signal that registered as communication with the Borg Collective. Edala looked at Picard in terror. "We don't have a vessel of that type in our records."

"Captain," Mr. Standish's voice was strained with concern. "The hybrid vessel is opening fire on the Vulcan ship. They appear to be using modified Borg projectiles." Ukweli turned to Picard. "Make the call, Ambassador. Slow down and defend the Vulcan ship or accelerate and let it fend for itself."

PIcard turned to the tactical station. "Mr. Al-Muzud, can you accurately target the hybrid vessel from this distance?" Al-Muzud pulled up his holographic scopes and solemnly shook his head. "Not with any degree of accuracy, sir." Picard stared at the scopes as he weighed the decision in his head.

Before Picard could respond, a series of subtle tremors rocked the Destiny's hull which made Ukweli turn to Al-Muzud. "Is the hybrid vessel firing on us?" The reply came as a sensor blip from Tereshkova's station. "Captain, the Vulcan vessel seems to have ejected about two dozen canisters of some sort. They seem to contain some kind of exotic matter of unusual gravimetric proportions." She pulled up the trajectory of the canisters, some of them seemed to clip along at warp speed along the edge of the expanding supernova.

Picard broke his gaze from the tactical station to briefly address the science station. "I'm afraid that your analysis will have to end there, Commander. You're already far beyond your security clearance." He turned to the helmsman. "Helm, complete the previous order, signal the fleet to accelerate to Warp 9 and engage." As the helmsman began to signal the rest of the fleet, Picard strapped himself back into his chair.

Turbulence rocked the bridge as Tereshkova continued to read off her sensor logs. "Captain, one of the canisters just collapsed." Red alert klaxons filled the air as the bulkheads began to violently convulse. The helmsman's hands gripped his instruments with all his strength. "Gravimetric interference is preventing us from accelerating. The exotic matter has triggered a massive gravitational wave moving towards us."

In those final seconds, Ukweli activated a comlink to the entire ship. "All hands, brace for impact!"

Picard turned to Edala with an order to signal Starfleet Command but it was too late. The wave struck the Destiny's aft section causing the entire ship to thrust backwards. Consoles shattered. Explosions filled the air. The pristine veneer of the bridge's topside crumbled into shards of glass and steel. Tangled tubes of blue bio-neural circuitry dangled from their overhead compartments. For an instant, all lights on the bridge shorted out leaving the crew in chaotic darkness. Then, a moment later, the Destiny's hull was plunged forward as the gravitational wave passed over the ship and continued its path to the rest of the galaxy.

The consoles were the first lights which returned to the ship. Each display was frantically displaying incomplete data sets triggered by extensive damage. Dr. Kakua made his way from his seat with medkit in hand taking care of a few junior enlisted who had suffered burns from a leaking bio-neural circuit. "Boy, I'll tell you what," Dr. Kakua muttered to himself as he loaded a hypospray. "if the bridge looks this bad, I don't even want to think about what sickbay looks like."

Picard emerged from his bracing position by gingerly brushing off a dusting of steel and glass from his shoulders. He turned to Edala whose left cheek was glistening with green blood from a gash brought on by a piece of shrapnel. Then, he turned to Ukweli who took Picard's hand and used it to stand up from her Captain's chair.

Ukweli brushed a trickle of blood from the corner of her eye. When she discovered it was blue, she turned to her first officer only to find the Andorian's limp body snapped over his console. As the ship creaked, A'kurn's remains crumbled onto the smoldering deck. She turned to the helm to find the helmsman's carcass sprawled out on the floor, the right breast of his uniform still seething from his exploded controls.

With all of these details in mind, she finally asked for a damage report. Tereshkova nursed a bruise on her forehead before indicating that the gravity wave had caused the community warp field to collapse. The wave triggered a feedback loop in the ship's systems causing cataclysmic failures. Ukweli bit her lip before asking about the rest of the armada.

Tereshkova punched up an analog map of the fleet. "That's the good news; if you want to be optimistic." She pointed to the flickering series of dots in the fleet. "Since we contributed the most to the shared warp field, we took the brunt of the damage. The Romulan vessels appear to be unharmed for the most part. Minimal casualties."

As Picard made his way to join Ukweli, he was overwhelmed by a searing jolt of fear. The crippling pain stemmed from the inner recesses of his mind from a distant memory back in the caverns of Romulus where he had joined minds with one of Vulcan's most famous diplomats. Now, in what seemed to be his final moments, that Vulcan was reaching out to Picard through his thoughts. Picard's knees buckled as he clutched the railing next to him for support. "Commander," Picard's voice came through gritted teeth. "What is the status of the Vulcan vessel? And the hybrid one?"

Tereshkova promptly rerouted the circuits in her console for long range sensors which caused a broader map to appear on the shattered crystal screen. Picard lumbered forward as Tereshkova gave her report. "The hybrid vessel no longer registers on sensors. I'm detecting a series of emerging singularities where the canisters once were. I'm detecting subspace distortions which could suggest that they're creating event horizons. Apparently, these black holes consumed the supernova."

A frail chirp signaled from her console and a bright red dot appeared on the screen. "I've located the Vulcan ship." Tereshkova announced. "It is caught in the gravity well of the nearest singularity. It is currently out of range of the expanding event horizon but not for long."

Picard turned to Ukweli. "Can we use transporters to retrieve the pilot?"

Ukweli shook her head with a hopeless frown. "We're not in range and the transporters are completely offline."

Another wave of paralyzing agony overcame Picard's body. His hands seized the edge of the science station as he looked helplessly at Ukweli. "Almost thirty years ago, I mind-melded with the pilot." Picard explained. "When Vulcans meet their end, their pain is projected onto the people with whom they've melded."

Ukweli signalled for Dr. Kakua as Picard slowly regained his footing. Picard waved off the doctor's open tricorder. "It won't help. This pain is psychic in nature. It afflicts the mind, not the body." Dr. Kakua escorted Picard to the chair behind Tereshkova which he had occupied before the crash.

With Picard safely secured in the chair, Edala rushed to his aide. "I contacted Romulus One. They are moving to retrieve Ambassador Spock before his ship is lost to the singularity." The mention of that name caused everyone on the bridge to abruptly stop. The Federation's most famous Vulcan was perilously close to his own destruction and no one aboard the ship could stop it.

Picard steadied himself on the chair's armrests before a series of sensations bombarded his senses. In that moment, Picard's nervous system registered the horrifying sight of a planet collapsing in on itself and the frigid sting of tundra air from a far-flung planet.

As tears swelled in Picard's eyes, the sensations suddenly changed. His amygdala registered the joy of seeing a once long dead friend now in the prime of his youth. His eyes beheld the sight of a young Vulcan man destined to be a decorated Starfleet officer at the dawn of his career. Picard's ears registered words of wisdom passed from an old sage to his far younger self. Finally, his skin felt the dry glow of a desert sun. His mind registered it as being similar to Vulcan but its descendant for the former had been destroyed.

In one infinitesimal moment, Picard found himself on another world in another dimension lying on his back staring at the faint red sky of the planet his colleague and friend had discovered. In his peripheral vision, Picard saw countless masses of Vulcans clad in white ceremonial funeral robes, their sleeves and hoods flowing in the breeze. The Spock he knew had led these people to a new world. Now they would be his stewards as he left it one final time. This sight was the last thing Spock would ever see.

A heavy sigh filled the air as Picard's senses returned to normal. In that moment, the telepathic link which had bound the two former starship captains was forever severed. Edala's jaw quivered as she approached her mentor, her voice cracking. "Picard, we were unable to retrieve Ambassador Spock."

Picard exhaustedly turned his eyes to his young aide. His slackened jaw laboriously struggled to form words. The psychic break had deprived most of his strength. Finally, with his final bout of vigor, Picard responded. "I know." He then feebly reached out and took her hand in both of his. "But we can still finish what he started."

In that moment, Picard's body finally fell limp. As his listless body began its descent to the cluttered deckplate, Dr. Kakua swooped in to steady him with hypospray in hand. Shooting a glance at Edala and another one at Captain Ukweli, the young doctor announced that he was going to keep the exhausted ambassador in Sickbay for the rest of the day.

Captain's Log U.S.S. Destiny, Supplemental

"The unimaginable is over. After seven days of devastation, the Hobus Supernova has been contained."

As Captain Ukweli gave her log, she starred outside the towering bay windows of her ready room and beheld the flotilla of both Federation and Romulan starships orbiting the new constellations of black holes. She peered out towards the Romulan flagship while she continued her log.

"Now it is time to rebuild. We do not fully know the damage the supernova inflicted but we know the consequences for the Romulan Star Empire have been devastating."

Ukweli's console lit up with a telltale indicating a classified message addressed to Ambassador Picard and his aide. She accepted the message and took a sip of Somali shaah tea, her beverage of choice, before returning to her log.

"Billions of lives have been either displaced or incinerated in the supernova's cosmic fire. A galactic superpower has collapsed."

Across the gulf of space, a procession marched in perfect cadence in the cavernous cargo bay of Romulus One. The entire complement of the vessel, including the surviving members of the Imperial Senate fixed their eyes on eight Praetorian Guards adorned in their most formal dress uniforms. The elite soldiers moved along the polished deck as pallbearers for the supernova's most unique casualty. Instead of a coffin between the two columns of guards, the Imperial Standard stood between them. It was the banner of the Romulan Star Empire, the very standard that Hei'sha had taken from the floor of the Imperial Senate.

The formerly pristine emblem of green, blue and black was now tattered along its corners. The black eagle across its center was now stained with green blemishes of spilled Romulan blood. Its outstretched talons displayed the most mortal sin of all: a gaping tear that forever separated the symbolized worlds of Romulus and Remus.

No standard in this condition could ever hope to be repaired. Hemming it would only emphasize the scars inflicted on the Romulan people. Reconstituting the battered banner through a replicator was a crime of equal parts heresy and treason.

Therefore, the surviving Romulan Senators and Praetor exercised their duty of eternally retiring the banner. A fire fueled by the crackling remains of each member's most prized possessions rested in the center of the cargo bay. A wounded Hei'sha stood the regulation two meters away from the fire. The left side of his face bore countless green tendrils of a blood bruise. It was a radiation burn inflicted in the fleeting second between the Senate chamber's shields falling and Romulus One teleporting him aboard. His left hand, three digits of which were currently paralyzed, motioned for the soldiers to take their position above the fire. He could not speak. His trachea was badly burned. With his pointer finger and thumb, the last Praetor of the Romulan Empire ordered the banner to rest on the sacred fire.

All eyes in the cargo bay fixated on the crackling fire as it consumed the most sacred relic of their culture.

Throughout the entire procession, Ukweli's log continued.

"A way of life has mercilessly ended. One of the Federation's oldest enemies now faces an uncertain future. Every hour, the Destiny receives an increasing list of orders from Starfleet Command to assist the displaced Romulans in resettlement efforts inside Federation space."

From the comfort of her quarters, a map materialized on her console indicating the most recent projections of destruction caused by the supernova along with a series of orders in the right margin. As Ukweli scanned the massive rings on the screen which indicated damage and displacement, she downloaded the information on a padd before concluding her log.

"To say this task will be difficult is an understatement. The belligerent history between the Federation and the Romulan Empire has deep roots. For over two centuries, each side has nurtured their own resentment for the other."

Below decks, Dr. Kakua carefully removed a series of embalming devices from the foreheads of First Officer A'kurn and Helmsman Standish. With the two officers dressed in their most formal uniforms, Dr. Kakua motioned for his nursing detail to gently raise the two slain officers and place them in their caskets. True to Starfleet decorum, the polished metal capsules were torpedo tubes only hours before. Kakua muttered a small prayer to himself before giving the order to have the two celestial coffins transferred to the main cargo bay.

"I feel that the first task we must complete is to acknowledge the loss both sides have suffered in the wake of this crisis. Once we each have an understanding of the other's pain, only then can we have true progress."  
As Captain Ukweli concluded her log and made her way to Ambassador Picard's quarters on the Destiny, Edala stood behind her father aboard Romulus One. She stood three steps behind her father next to her mother, Hi'dar. Both of them usually chafed at this historically patriarchal custom during times of mourning but for this solemn occasion, they allowed it. If nothing else, the gesture was one final observance of the old Romulan ways before they made way for new traditions.

However, as the two women were witnessing, they may have to wait longer before they could properly discuss new traditions. With the Imperial Standard and the fire that consumed it now reduced to ash, all the men in the cargo bay participated in the next stage of the mourning process.

Every adult male in the cargo bay now stood in a line by the smoldering fire. The Commandant of the Tal Shiar, Commodore Von'ya took over the infirmed praetor's duties by shaving the heads of the men who approached the fire. Von'ya then deputized the first three men to shave the rest men's heads. Finally, Von'ya raised a bowl of ashes from the fire, sliced his hand, and combined the ash with his own blood. The mixture served as ink for which the al'ama aldad or mourning marks would be etched upon the heads of each male.

The design of each al'ama aldad matched the coat of arms of every Romulan household. An extra branch was added to each design to account for each family member a Romulan male had lost in the supernova. The combination of ash and blood would leave a stain on the heads of every Romulan male which signified their mourning. When the stain finally faded, Romulan custom dictated that the time for mourning was over.

Von'ya explained this ritual to the occupants of the cargo bay as he bestowed the sacred marks on the men. Von'ya finished his explanation by directing all Romulan women to obey the custom by obeying the expressed words of the men in their household.

After the Commandant gave his orders, Edala leaned towards her mother's ear and whispered. "You will need some extra help to take care of baba. Do you want me to stay? I'm sure Picard would understand."

A faint smile appeared over her mother's face as she bowed her head for a reply. "No, I can manage. You can do more for our people with Picard than you can at home with us. " Her whispers caught the ears of Von'ya who stopped his explanation of the mourning rites to stare at the Praetor's wife in admonishment. Hi'dar lowered her chin and continued at an even softer whisper. "But then again, tradition dictates that I cannot make that decision and neither can you."

At the end of the procession, Edala approached her father. When she asked him what his wishes were, he was adamant. "You must join Picard." His faint voice rasped. His words were carried by pure conviction. "You must be my eyes during the resettlement process. Without a Romulan representative, our people will not listen.." He reached into the pocket of his tunic. "I only ask one thing."

Edala's eyebrows raised as she braced for what her father was about to say. She always valued him for his progressive ideals but the pressure he was facing by hardliners to strictly follow archaic tradition meant anything was possible.

"Never forget who you are, zahra." Hei'sha pulled out a ceramic flower blossom. It was a zahra, a Romulan fire blossom. Its blossom resembled a hybrid between a plumeria and a rose. A dozen pedals fanned out around rows of other pedals which jutted out from the center. Each pedal resembled a flame: red at the base, orange in the middle and yellow at the tips. The zahra was Edala's favorite flower. Hei'sha gave her the nickname because he felt it matched her assertive personality.

Edala smiled as she took the blossom in her hand. "I made this for you decades ago. You kept this?" Hei'sha returned her smile and nodded. "It was on my desk." The family shared a smile as Hei'sha gestured that they move to the transporter room.

As Romulus One made arrangements to transport Edala back to the Destiny, Picard sat on the couch in his new quarters. Captain Ukweli assigned him to the forward section of deck 8. The first thing he saw as he entered his new home was the spacious windows which made up the forward bulkhead.

Picard made himself quickly at home. He slid his isolinear chip into the replicator unit. No sooner than he inserted the portable drive did his leisure clothes materialize in the closet. As a member of the Diplomatic Corps, Picard had to move quickly. Cumbersome personal effects hampered his ability to move quickly. Therefore, everything he would need was kept on a single isolinear chip.

With the tension of the last several days still permeating the air, Picard rested on the couch still clad in his gray tunic. He had debated changing into his tan robe but he decided to stay in uniform. With the Romulan fleet on every side of the ship, there was no telling when a crisis would summon Picard to the bridge. True to form, the humanist ambassador relaxed with a novel of the collected works of William Shakespeare and a hot cup of Earl Grey tea in reach. Hearing what his protege had said on the Destiny's bridge about Romulan/Federation cooperation being a "brave new world" inspired him to read his favorite scenes from The Tempest.

He arrived at the line where Prospero declared "We are such things as dreams are made of" when the door to his cabin chimed. The chirping sound instantly triggered Picard's conditioned response. "Come," With its signature hiss, the doors slid open and Captain Ukweli made her way into his quarters with padd in hand.

Picard's eye widened as he got to his feet. "Captain, it is a pleasure to see you. Can I offer you some Earl Grey?" Ukweli smiled and made her way to hand Picard the padd. "Thank you, but I already had some shaah tea in my quarters."

Picard smiled as he received the padd. "Shaah tea? I've sampled many teas in my time but I can't remember having tried that one." He then invited the captain to sit in the chair next to him. "Then why don't you come down to my quarters for breakfast, tomorrow?" Ukweli said as she sat down. "I grow my own leaves because the replicators can never get it right. It's my authentic family recipe."

Picard took his cup of Earl Grey and toasted Ukweli. "I am honored to accept your invitation, Captain." After taking a final draught of the milky brown tea, Picard turned to the padd. As his eyes traversed the display, Ukweli apologized for interrupting his reading. "I gather after the last couple days, you'd want to relax. But these orders from Starfleet Command were marked urgent."

Picard accepted the Captain's apology with a single nod. "When fate offers you a chance to make History, it's worth a little inconvenience. Besides," He pointed to the open pages of The Tempest. "I already know how this story ends."

He pressed a button on the padd and a holographic map of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants materialized in front of the windows. Picard stared aghast at the image as he saw a red patch marked: BLAST ZONE stretching out across the heart of the former Romulan Empire. "Sixty percent of the planets in the Romulan Star Empire were obliterated by the Hobus Supernova." Ukweli narrated. A halo of yellow light surrounded the red patch indicating the corona of toxic cosmic radiation which preceded the blast wave. "Practically all of the surviving Romulan planets are experiencing some exposure to the supernova's radiation. Many are beginning to report ecological collapse and planetwide medical emergencies."

As the unpleasant statistics washed over Picard's psyche, he took a deep breath and regained his composure for command. "Since you've read these messages, you're no doubt better briefed than I am, at the moment. Has Starfleet finalized its decisions regarding refugee zones?"

Ukweli instructed the padd to enlarge a cluster of star systems near the Romulan/Federation Neutral Zone. "The Hokulea star system is our best candidate for immediate resettlement. It's an M-Class planet with a remarkable planetary climate. Quite frankly, I might retire there when this is all over." Tropical images from the planet's surface appeared on the map.

As Picard studied the images and maps more closely, Ukweli continued her analysis. "Of course, relocating potentially billions of displaced Romulans is a much larger endeavor. We will have to scout out some suitable planets for the next waves of refugees from the blighted worlds."

Picard focused on the planet's topographical maps for several moments before turning to his colleague. "The climate will placate the refugees from Romulus. It's close enough to the original climate. The preliminary data about metaphasic radiation is promising." He then pressed two fingers to his right temple. "However, we will have to negotiate a treaty with the indigenous Wakai people before they can properly settle the planet."

Ukweli grinned. "You're in luck, Ambassador, that's our next stop." She pressed a prompt on the broadcasting padd which highlighted a confidential order from Starfleet Command. "Because of our unique situation, Starfleet Command has canceled our previous surveying mission and has ordered the two of us to share command responsibilities."

A wry simper twisted Picard's lips as he glanced at Ukweli. "We would be co-captains?"

Ukweli returned his smirk. "Well, if you want, I'm sure the Admiralty can reactivate your commission if you asked them but my understanding is that the arrangement is more of a separation of powers. As ranking ambassador, you would handle all of the diplomatic duties concerning the Romulans while I remain in charge of the ship's operations."

"Sharing the burden?" Picard's voice was solemn as he looked back to the bay windows. A small object shot out of the aft portion of Romulus One. The small capsule, no bigger than a torpedo tube, tumbled through space until it arrived between two of the black holes. It steadied itself with imperceptible bursts from thrusters. Once properly oriented, a giant holographic image materialized above the canister. The likeness was the crest of the Romulan Empire shimmering in blue and green hues. Beneath the tail feathers and talons stood an inscription etched in Romulan script. Neither officer could read in Romulan but they knew it was an epitaph for the billions that died and the culture they left behind.

Picard picked up his empty cup of Earl Grey tea and made his way to the replicator. He gave a heavy sigh before instructing the computer to convert the dirty glass back into energy patterns. "This is not the way I wanted peace with Romulus to go." Picard's words fell heavy with years of exhaustion.

With the cup and saucer flat firmly on the replicator plate, he turned back to Ukweli. "But there may be something to be salvaged from this. With the majority of their resources obliterated, the Romulans will need our help to survive. Even the hardliners must accept that." As the replicator atomized the cup with an electronic whoosh, Picard returned to his couch. "Praetor Hei'sha will listen. But the military and the Tal Shiar will be far more difficult to persuade." He gave a heavy sigh as he reclined on the chair. "I pray they will listen. We have the opportunity to open a new era of peace: Romulans, Klingons and the Federation working together. Future historians might even call the era a 'Pax Galactica.'"

Picard's gaze turned from Romulus One to the squadrons of warbirds that flanked every side of their flagship. "But, there's an equally likely possibility that our passions will get the better of us and plunge the galaxy into war. I've already had to deny accusations that a Federation operative is responsible for the supernova." Ukweli's response was firm. "You're referring to Seven of Nine, the former Borg from the Delta Quadrant?"

Almost reflexively, Picard corrected Ukweli by refraining to refer to her by her Borg designation. "You're referring to Annika Hansen and yes," Picard nodded sharply. "Both Starfleet Intelligence and the Tal Shiar know she was involved in events leading up to the supernova. Her exact agency is unknown at the moment, however. Nevertheless, a Federation citizen involved in a genocidal catastrophe is precisely what could unravel this entire alliance."

Ukweli sharply placed the palm of her right hand on the table to interject. "Even so, Picard, the Romulans may not be completely innocent in this situation, either. Don't forget that Romulan hybrid vessel that we encountered during the supernova." Picard slowly turned to her as she continued. "It was outfitted with Borg weaponry. That clearly violates the Four Powers Treaty. No Federation, Klingon, Romulan or Cardassian can use salvaged Borg technology for military purposes."

Picard nodded knowingly. "Trust me, I haven't forgotten that. I am painfully aware of that vessel's purpose." He pointed to his left temple in reference to the psychic break he had when Ambassador Spock's Vulcan science vessel fell into the black hole. "And since I personally experienced the closing years of the late Ambassador Spock's life, I even know that vessel's fate. There's no danger to us. Both Spock and that vessel have been shunted into a parallel dimension without any hope of returning."

Picard shook his head. "No, the bigger issue concerns those in our dimension responsible for building such a vessel. Who are they? What is their agenda? Do they have more vessels like that at their disposal?" He frowned as he looked towards the Federation and Romulan fleets as the vessels paired off in preparation for departure. "It's just another facet to this staggering galactic crisis." Picard took a hard look at the floating convoy outside his window before speaking. "As a diplomat, I strive to salvage the best out of any situation; no matter how hopeless. But now, I have to accept that the worst case scenario is just as likely as the best."

He stood up and went to the window, placing his hand along the cool transparent aluminum curve. "Two superpowers with centuries of hostilities. Billions of individuals with traditional prejudices towards the other side." Picard turned back to Ukweli. "Can we overlook that animosity in favor of the greater good?"

Ukweli's answer was quick and sharp. "Yes! Yes we can, Picard! And we have. " She rose to her feet and met the ambassador by the window. "Our presence in the stars is a testament of humanity overcoming even longer legacies of prejudice." She gestured to the Federation vessels. "We are an interplanetary civilization because right before we almost extinguished ourselves in the mid-21st Century, we discovered that we could accomplish far more when we embrace what makes us unique instead of persecuting them."

Picard nodded. "That era was extremely similar by comparison: rampant hostilities between cultures, communities on the brink of collapse due to natural disasters, the constant threat of war spurred by malignant nationalism." Ukweli earnestly responded. "But we learned the right lessons from that era, just as we will in this one."

Picard nodded thoughtfully before looking back at the fleet. "I'm sure we will." Ukweli stood up to look Picard in the eye. "Nothing worth celebrating is ever easy. You have accomplished many feats in your career. But, I'm sure this one will be your crowning achievement." Picard smiled and replied. "You mean 'it will be our crowning achievement.'"

Ukweli returned his smile as Picard turned back to the fleet. The Titan had joined Romulus One and the warbirds that flanked its sides. That cluster of starships was on its way to Earth. "No matter how this unfolds, we are the scribes of History. This will be the first time a Romulan Head of State will be welcomed to the Federation Capitol." Picard turned to Ukweli with a thin smile. "Edala was right. It is a brave new world."

As Ukweli returned the gesture, the communication system pinged on. "Captain Ukweli to the bridge. We're ready to get underway." Ukweli slapped her combadge. "I'll be right there." She motioned for Picard to join her. "Shall we?"

The bridge of the Destiny was buzzing with activities. Tereshkova feverishly downloaded the final bits of data from the black holes. She double checked the file names so she could study them at greater detail later. Al-Muzud dug his earpiece deeper into his head as he made final communications with the Romulan vessels. Edala was standing next to him with a padd listing all the words in Romulan that the universal translator couldn't interpret. At the end of each message, Al-Muzud gave a traditional Romulan farewell with Edala coaching him in the background.

The Destiny was not going anywhere however, until the helm was properly repaired. That duty fell on Commander Sanchez who was seen on his back wielding a bright blue soldering arc at the front of the bridge. With Ensign Standish deceased, the duty to pilot the vessel fell on Cadet Second Class Kenneth Nguyen. The eager but nervous young twenty year old looked at the helm as random sections of its crystal display blinked to life. Since it was his first time, the young man fought to temper his nerves with confidence. As he nodded in periodic rhythm with what Sanchez was doing, his mind recited all the navigation principles he learned in the academy.

With a final hum, the helm became fully operational. "Here you go, chiquitin." Commander Sanchez crawled out from under the helm and patted the young cadet on the shoulder. "First time flying a starship, no?" Nguyen bit his lip and subtly nodded. With the tenderness of a father giving his son his first driving lesson, Sanchez put his hand on the cadet's shoulder and motioned him to come closer. "Mira, mira. Just remember two things: at faster than light, there's no left or right and…" He pointed to a red button on the exact center of the display. "That's the brake." Sanchez then pointed to a small computer display in the lower left corner and whispered, "And if you need any advice, this comlink goes directly to engineering. Just type a message. No one needs to know." Nguyen smiled incredulously as he took his station.

The commotion of the Destiny's bridge came to a standstill as Captain Ukweli and Picard arrived through the turbolift. Ukweli took the entire bridge in a glance before issuing her customary "as you were" command. Picard followed Ukweli down to the chairs at the center of the bridge. By the time, Ukweli arrived at the Captain's Chair, Al-Muzud announced that they were being hailed by the U.S.S. Titan. "On screen," Picard and Ukweli said in unison.

A holographic replica of the Titan's bridge was superimposed over the crystal windshield at the front of the bridge. Captain Riker and Troi were seen at the center of the display with the rest of the crew busying themselves to get underway. "Just wanted to make sure you were properly taken care of before we got underway, Picard." Riker's voice carried his trademark jovial tune.

Picard replied. "We're all set here, Will. They even got your message about my affinity for lodging at the front of the ship." Captain Riker smirked. "Least I could do for my former captain." Picard nodded affectionately and turned to Troi. "Deanna, if those two cherubs of yours give you any hassle, remind them that Uncle Jean Luc is always on subspace." Troi smiled. "I'll remember that. Remember, Thaddeus still owes you a saxophone solo and Leto is going to want to hear a Shakespearean sonnet one of these days."

Riker leaned closer to the viewscreen to address his former captain. "Just remember, you're not doing this alone, Picard. If things get too much for you out there just drop us a line. Even though we're standing down in four months, we'll bail you out. If we have to rent a shuttlecraft, we'll do it." Picard nodded deeply as he faced his former shipmates for a farewell. "Bonne chance, mon ami."

Troi and Riker disappeared from the viewscreen as the Titan powered up its engines. In a dozen flashes of light, a small portion of the evacuation fleet made its way to Earth.

As Picard sat back in his chair, Captain Ukweli activated a comlink to the entire crew. "Crew of the Destiny, this is the Captain speaking. Before this disaster, we were surveying the undiscovered territories beyond the Teldar System. In light of the current circumstances, I don't have to tell you that our mission has changed."

She gestured for Picard to brief the crew. "By order of Starfleet Command we are to assist the former Romulan Empire in whatever tasks they may require as they recuperate from the supernova. We are currently setting a course to the Hokulea system to establish the first of undoubtedly many resettlements inside Federation space." He gestured to Nguyen who began to punch up the coordinates on his helm. Sanchez looked over Nguyen's shoulder to confirm his steps.

"Although this ship has been diverted from its surveying mission, the essence of exploration remains constant in our duties. Over the next several months, and perhaps years, we will be discovering countless frontiers along our path. Our situation with the Romulans will force us to explore unique worlds with wonders we have never encountered. We will encounter cultures that have been formerly unknown to us. Given our history with the Romulans, our voyage may be intense."

Picard turned to Edala who nodded at her mentor. "But I challenge you to approach any of these obstacles with the same wonder as you would with any other cosmic phenomena. It is only through curiosity and wonder that we learn. And as we learn, we grow." Edala smiled as she took her station behind Al-Muzud.

Picard turned to Ukweli for the climax of his speech. "And as a wise person once told me: nothing worth celebrating is ever easy. You have all joined Starfleet because you have been called by the stars. The promise of the unexplored compels you to be more than you are. "

Picard made his way back to his chair next to Ukweli. "So, let us answer that call together: Starfleet and Romulans. Helm, set a course for the Hokulea system, Warp 5." After confirming his coordinates with Sanchez, Nguyen turned back from his station and smiled at Picard and Ukweli. "Course plotted and laid in. Warp available at your command, Captain."

Picard glanced at Ukweli who gave him permission to issue the command with a slight nod. Picard raised his right hand and with the several decades of command experience he delivered his command. "Engage."

From the desolation of the Romulan Neutral zone, the U.S.S. Destiny led a fleet of 38 Romulan vessels across the stars. With every adventure ahead of them was a new chapter of galactic history to be written.

This concludes Star Trek: Destiny (aka Star Trek: Picard What Could Have Been) Episode 1: "O, Brave New World." This narrative continues with Episode 2: "What is Past is Prologue." Now available.


	9. Episode 2, Chapter 1: Shakedown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, newcomer Cadet Nguyen has his first meeting with Edala, Picard's Romulan aide and Picard briefs Destiny Captain Shani Ukweli on the strange new world the ship is about to explore.

Star Trek: Picard (What Could Have Been) Episode 2: "What is Past is Prologue"

By: Sendmeincoach

Author's Note: Thank you all for your positive and kind feedback to Episode 1 "O, Brave New World." Honestly, I had considered publishing Fan Fiction for many years but was concerned about how the fan masses would react to it. With your collective encouragement, I am continuing a "fanon" universe of what Star Trek: Picard/Destiny could have been with better planning.

The goal of this episode: As a lifelong Trekkie, I have noticed a trend in the success/failure of Trek-style storytelling. Around the second episode, there is typically an episode which serves as an in-depth character study. I wanted to put the story's characters into an episode in the vein of a "Naked Time/Naked Now" plot where all the characters' psyches are exposed while mixing a plot device which lives up to the "strange new worlds/civilizations" mantra for which Star Trek is famous.

Word Count Note: Since the chief purpose of this episode is to establish characters, the word count for this episode is longer than usual. My biggest gripe with the actual show is that all the new characters had no substance and functioned more like plot devices than actual people. Please know that most episodes will be closer to 25,000 words like the pilot was.

Cultural Note: As an Hispanic/Pacific Islander individual, one thing that has always gnawed at me about the Trek universe is the conspicuous absence of these cultures in both characters and plot. That is why the Chief Engineer is Miguel Sanchez and the Chief Medical Officer is Joseph Kakua. It is also why the Destiny is an outrigger class vessel.

The Polynesian cultural references in this episode are intended to broadcast my own lived experiences as a person of color for the educational benefit of the audience. It is not intended to be appropriation.

Legacy Characters featured in this story:

Picard: Guest Star: During pre-production of Season 1, James McAvoy expressed interest in appearing on the show as a younger version of Picard. Keep this in mind during the second act of the episode.

Data: Per Brent Spiner's request during pre-production of Season 1, Data is still technically dead but he will make an appearance in this episode using the episode's central plot device.

For the full set of rules/guidelines by which these episodes are written, please go to Episode 1, "O, Brave New World," Chapter 1.

Chapter 1: Shakedown

"Captain's Log Stardate 75003.5: After the turbulent evacuation of Romulan Star Empire from the Hobus Supernova, our refugee convoy is safely within Federation Space and making its way towards the Hokulea system at low warp. With the crew becoming accustomed to our newest passengers, this week feels more like a shakedown cruise than a resettlement effort."

Cadet Kenneth Nguyen stood awkwardly in the middle of sickbay with his mouth agape and his eyes staring into the overhead lights. Blistering bursts of pain rippled through his throat and sinuses. The cabin echoed with a single syllable that the young Cadet had held like a high note in a choral solo. Any time he faltered, Dr. Kakua swooped in to give his encouragement. "Come on, Cadet. Thirty more seconds."

He checked into Dr. Kakua's office because he wanted something for his bad breath. What he got was two painstaking minutes of gargling an ancient Hawaiian remedy by which Dr. Kakua staked his entire reputation. With fifteen minutes left, Nguyen sloped his head down slightly to prematurely spit but Dr. Kakua placed his hand on his shoulder. "You got this, Nguyen. If you can't handle a little gargling, how are you supposed to handle combat?"

Nguyen titled his head back up and remained in that stance until Dr. Kakua gave the order to spit out the mixture in the nearest wash basin. As the brown mixture swirled around the drain, Nguyen wiped his face with a nearby towel. "The second round stung worse than the first. Are we done now, Doc? All I wanted was a hypospray."

Dr. Kakua chuckled as he reached for his tricorder. "More accurately, what you wanted was a cure for bad breath." He opened the tricorder flap and began scanning Nguyen's neck. "Now, I could have given you the standard Starfleet medical treatment and you'd be back at the end of next week for another dose. The ship's central air system and isotopes from alien atmospheres hamper the effects of modern medicine."

He closed the tricorder and reached for the medkit hanging from his right shoulder. "So, what I did was cut you in on a little family medicine and gave you a permanent cure straight from my Tutu, herself."

Nyugen frowned. "You get medical advice from a ballet dress?"

Dr. Kakua shook his head with a chuckle as he opened the kit's outer pouch. "No, no, no. Tutu means 'grandmother' in Hawaiian. She was also in charge of taking care of us when we were sick." Dr. Kakua nudged his head towards the collection of tropical roots and leaves on the nearby counter. "When I was a little younger than you, I had the same problem. I used to have terrible breath. It could clear the room. My uncles used to call me 'Joey Pilau' which is Hawaiian for 'rotten.'"

Nguyen sheepishly frowned as Dr. Kakua pulled out a penlight from his pouch. "So, Tutu got some roots and leaves from her garden, mashed them up into a paste, added some Hawaiian salt and had me gargle it two times. After that, I was 'pilau' no more. I became the man I am today: 'Joey Nohea' or 'Joey Good-Lookin.'"

He instructed Ngyuen to open his mouth. After a brief inspection of the Cadet's tonsils, Dr. Kakua nodded in satisfaction. "It's looking good, crewman. Tutu's remedy has done it again."

Nguyen's face lit up in eager gratitude as he turned to thank Dr. Kakua. "Thanks a million, Doc. Is there anything you need? You want me to help you clean up?" Dr. Kakua nodded and instructed him to get some containers from the nearby cabinet. Nguyen retrieved two transparent aluminum canisters in double time. "Outstanding work, Cadet." Dr. Kakua divided the roots and leaves into the separate canisters. "I can see why you're Starfleet Academy material: you follow instructions extremely well."

As Dr. Kakua placed the containers into a nearby stasis chamber, he genially asked. "By the way... you've been aboard this ship for six months, why did your breath become such an issue now?" Almost by instinct, Nguyen snapped to attention as he would have back at the academy. "That was before we got our new batch of crewmembers. I've got to make a good impression."

Dr. Kakua chuckled softly as he programmed the stasis chamber computer to re-accept the specimens. "Oh, really? I didn't know an addition of two people to the ship's manifest qualified as a 'new batch."" Nguyen's military composure softened as he defended his reasoning. "We have Jean-Luc Picard on this ship, now." Ngyuen stepped closer to Dr. Kakua to emphasize his point. "He's a Starfleet legend. If I can make a good impression with him, I'd be set for life." Kakua nodded. "I suppose that's one way to get ahead in this racket."

The wry expression on Kakua's face compelled Nguyen to further defend his reasoning. "Seriously! The man has saved Earth and the Federation more times than I can count. Whenever the Klingons -aka the toughest people this side of the galaxy- need a favor, they call him. He's the only person I can think of who could have pulled off the…"

Suddenly the main doors slid open and Edala, Picard's young Romulan aide, made her way through the hatchway with a padd in hand. With military precision, she delivered the padd to Dr. Kakua and introduced herself. Nguyen's eyes widened as his jaw slackened slightly. He had seen Edala a few times before but only in passing. Now, he was seeing her conducting her duties with the same standard of professional excellence to which he held himself. His eyes focused on the curled bangs over her barely perceptible Romulan ridges as Edala indicated that the padd contained Picard's medical records.

When Edala caught his gaze, Nguyen's voice lost its strength. He attempted to smoothly shift his gaze towards the medical readout behind her but the gesture was as inconspicuous as a phaser barrage from orbit. In that fleeting moment, his thoughts frantically clashed on what he should do. Finally, as Edala returned her focus to Dr. Kakua, Nguyen decided to stand at attention and remain silent.

As Nguyen imagined himself under inspection back in the academy barracks, Dr. Kakua looked over the padd's gleaming crystal screen. "Everything seems to be in order, but, why couldn't these records just be transmitted to my office?" Edala's response was precisely measured. "Because of the Ambassador's age and high security clearance, it is customary to favor a physical but secured delivery over subspace transmissions lest the signal gets intercepted by unauthorized personnel."

Dr. Kakua playfully parried Edala's by-the-book response. "Oh, yes, the long term effects of daily Earl Grey tea consumption should be classified 'top secret.' Otherwise, the Federation fails." He then whimsically smiled as he addressed Edala's befuddled expression. "Don't worry, I'll keep these files under proverbial lock and key. No one else will see them." He finished the promise by putting his finger to his lips. The gesture sparked a smile across her face. "It's okay if your nurse sees them, too." She pointed to Nguyen. "My nurse?!" Dr. Kakua turned to Nguyen with overexaggerated panache.

For five painstaking seconds, everything in sickbay orbited Cadet Kenneth Nguyen as he stood staring at the young Romulan before him. The Cadet who excelled at zero gravity combat training and decompression simulations now found himself completely vulnerable. Finally, a well placed cough from Kakua brought Nguyen back to his senses. "Nurse? Oh, no, ma'am. I'm not a nurse. I'm an Officer Candidate in Starfleet." Violent tremors pulsed through Nguyen's hand and fingers as he reached out to introduce himself. "Cadet Kenneth Nguyen, I'm in the third year of the command training program."

"Oh," Edala's response conveyed more inert understanding than being impressed. As the two shook hands, Nguyen decided to up his demeanor by enthusiastically promoting his accomplishments and goals. "I'm an expert marksman with a phaser and a master strategist. One day, I hope to be recruited by Starfleet Special Forces and eventually make it to the Federation Security Council."

Edala responded with a fleeting but endearing grin. "I admire your ambition, Cadet. I, too, have similar ambitions. I hope to become a Romulan Senator or whatever elected position is available once the resettlement is completed." In those moments, Nguyen still held Edala's hand. An icy twinge kept all his fingers wrapped around Edala's hand. A fleeting thought of complementing Edala on her strong grip raced through Nguyen's mind. Before he could speak however, Edala let go and Nguyen's quivering hand flopped back to his side.

Edala harnessed her many years of diplomatic training in extending pleasantries to the young cadet. She then turned to Dr. Kakua and instructed him to delete the records upon their departure. As Edala smartly made her way out of sickbay, Nguyen finally conjured up the words to speak. "When-when will that be, ma'am?"

Edala spun on her heel. "Our stay on the Destiny is indefinite, Cadet. So, that means we'll have lots of time to exchange notes on our lofty career goals." Her eyes then flashed a twinkle which Nguyen would struggle to interpret all day. Before Nguyen could respond, Edala disappeared behind the sliding hatch.

Nguyen lost track of the moments he spent staring at the entrance to Sickbay. Only Dr. Kakua's crescendoing chuckle brought him back to his senses. "You know, if you stay in that position for five more seconds, you technically qualify as catatonic. But I don't blame you. I remember the first time I met my first adult heart throb, too." Nguyen turned a stupefied eye towards the surgeon and answered with a monosyllable which distantly resembled the word "What?" Dr. Kakua chuckled as he looked at the young cadet square in the eyes. "Maybe you should be my nurse. Your strategy as a Cassanova leaves a lot to be desired. I can give you some pointers."

Nguyen sheepishly looked at Dr. Kakua who patted him on the shoulder. "It was really that bad?" Dr. Kakua shrugged as his mind tried to delicately construct a diplomatic answer. "My military jargon is a little rusty, but I'm pretty sure what I just saw fell somewhere between a 'Fugazi' and a 'Charlie Foxtrot.'"

The hair at the nape of Nguyen's neck stood straight at attention as he heard the two most demoralizing of martial acronyms. "Whoa, wait a minute, Doc." Nguyen defensively turned to the surgeon. "I wouldn't go that far. I wasn't expecting to have her come through the door. That was the first time I'd ever gotten a chance to talk to her. If anything, it was an ambush."

Dr. Kakua chuckled. "Well, now I know why you wanted me to treat your halitosis." Desperate to change the subject, Nguyen earnestly met Kakua at his desk and shook his hand with both of his. "Thank you for that, by the way. You have no idea how much I appreciate it." Dr. Kakua affectionately shrugged. "No pilikia, Cadet. It's no problem at all. Anything I can do to get Starfleet's youth off to a good start."

Nguyen glanced at the display on the other side of Dr. Kakua's office. "Should I schedule an appointment for next week?" Dr. Kakua jauntily waved his hand. "Countless generations of Kakuas have taken the treatment once and have never needed a follow up. But, if it makes you feel better, you can drop by. Maybe I can help you with your strategy for the next time you meet Edala."

Dr. Kakua stared at Nguyen in the eye with the sympathy of a younger brother. "In the meantime, Cadet, do yourself a favor and back off from your mission for a little bit. Call it a 'strategic retreat.' I don't want to scrape you off the deck because she visited the bridge and you decide to hyperventilate." Nguyen nodded slowly and noncommittally acknowledged the advice. As he made his way towards the main doors he turned back to Dr. Kakua for a rebuttal. "But, to paraphrase the American General Douglas MacArthur: backing off is not a retreat, I'd just be advancing in a new direction."

Nguyen then strutted out of the sickbay with the same dead set composure of a soldier heading to the front lines. No one knew when he would see Edala again and this time he wanted to be ready.

As the doors hissed shut, Dr. Kakua chuckled and turned to his stasis chambers. "Cadet, with that kind of optimistic doubletalk, you're the perfect candidate for Starfleet Special Forces… or public office."

Captain Ukweli's Quarters

"Excellent tea," Ambassador Jean-Luc Picard raised a cup of shaah tea and toasted his host who sat on the other side of the black slate table. Between them rested two platters of cuisine from Mogadishu, Captain Shani Ukweli's hometown back on Earth. The first was a hearty plate of Surbiyaan Hilib Adhi which was a mixture of lamb, rice, and caramelized onions. A stack of Malawah, Somali sweet pancakes, rested on the second plate. An arrangement of tropical fruits orbited the two plates.

Ukweli smiled as she raised her shaah glass to return his toast. "I am thrilled that you approve. Although I may be an unfathomable distance away from my home, it does my heart good to know that a little piece of it sustains me every day." Picard nodded and took another sip of the spice tea. "Indeed."

Picard traced the undulating waves of light which danced across the table's polished sheen to the sloping windows above him. He spared a few moments to survey the fleet of battered Romulan vessels with whom the Destiny had made its narrow escape from the Hobus supernova. He focused on the civilian vessels because they bore the deeper wounds caused by their long diaspora. Anytime the turbulence of warp speed seemed to tear a civilian transport apart, the vessel sank into the nearby warp field of a hulking warbird nearby. Tendrils of light branched out from the warship as crucial welds were applied to the crumbling vessels to keep them space-worthy for the next stint of their trip.

When repairs were completed to a medium sized freighter, Picard finally spoke. "We need to expedite our treaty process with the Wakai people as much as we can. Those civilian vessels aren't long for this galaxy." Ukweli nodded as her fingers traced a series of command prompts on the edge of her table. "I absolutely agree, Ambassador."

Suddenly, a holographic model of the planet Hokulea 4 materialized over the Somalian breakfast dishes. Seconds later, a series of summative reports emerged from the illuminated globe. During those moments, Picard briefed Ukweli on their mission profile.

The Hokulea star system was an M class planet in the Romulan Neutral Zone. The Wakai people are the unified inhabitants of the planet. Their civilization became the dominant species on the planet thanks to cohesive cooperation within its members. They were also galactically renowned for their generosity amongst outsiders, including the occasional spacefaring traveler. The Wakai's amicable quality secured Hokulea 4 as the frontrunner for Romulan resettlement. Ukweli's lips turned up into a smile at this news.

Suddenly, images of the Wakai people appeared on the screen which twisted her smile into a foreboding frown. A parade of images ranging from wood thatched huts, multi-ruddered canoes, obsidian knives to crudely woven fish nets materialized and vanished in succession. The Wakai people were countless millennia away from spaceflight.

"Ambassador, I would be remiss if I did not bring up the possible breaching of the Prime Directive at this point in the briefing." Ukweli's voice then carried a more sobering tone. "The Wakai people's lack of advanced space technology clearly disqualifies them from contact with the Federation. Although we are in a desperate situation, we cannot allow the Wakai's culture to be contaminated or exploited by our interference."

Picard nodded knowingly. "I admire your passion, Captain. Ordinarily, I would agree with you. However, the Federation Council has granted a special provision to the Prime Directive in this case due to our unique circumstances…" He looked over his briefing data to highlight the key segment for his colleague to read. "...and the fact that the Wakai have already formally made contact with a spacefaring civilization."

Ukweli cocked an eyebrow. "Which one?"

Picard smirked as he enlarged the relevant data set with his hands. "The Ferengi Alliance."

Ukweli rolled her eyes. "Oh, God!"  
Picard highlighted one of the floating brackets with his finger as he explained. "Apparently, it was one of Grand Nagus Zek's favorite places to visit before he retired." A hovering picture depicted a landing party of Ferengi walking along a pristinely white sandy beach. With Ukweli inspecting the image, Picard continued. "Other than Risa, of course. They apparently tried to harvest an indigenious mineral to manufacture a line of anti-aging cosmetic products."

The product replaced the image with a floating tube of blue gel. Ukweli peered towards the tube in an attempt to read the blocky Ferengi script on the label. After a few moments of struggling, Picard translated the advertisement. "Discover the secret to immortality: thirty bars of latinum per jar." Ukweli scoffed. "Leave it to the Ferengi to charge a fortune for a fake immortality cure. It's funny that I never heard about that."

Picard politely replied. "Ferengi don't like to discuss failed business ventures. The bigger the loss, the less it's discussed. Not to mention it allegedly turned customers' skin bright blue."

Ukweli nodded understandingly. "Even still, if the Wakai made contact with the Ferengi, I guess the Prime Directive is a moot point. I don't even want to think of the existential secrets the Ferengi might have told them."

"Indeed," Picard then highlighted the southern hemisphere of the holographic globe. "The Wakai have agreed to let our Romulan guests settle along the southern and eastern hemispheres. There are secluded areas where both parties can live without disturbing each other."

He highlighted one of the lagoons from the digital map. "Our diplomatic envoy assured the Wakai that the Romulans' presence would not interfere with their hunting trails and fishing spots. Once we have a treaty in place and resettlement begins, the next phase of resettlement will be infrastructure. I have a contractor in mind to manufacture habitat modules when that time comes."

An incredulous expression overcame Ukweli's face. "These people are just going to give us everything we want without asking for anything in return? No wonder the Ferengi took advantage of them."

"Not quite," Picard pointed to another summary bracket. An image of an underground cavern materialized before Ukweli with massive stalagmites jeweled with twinkling blue crystals. "Before we can receive the Wakai's boundless generosity, we must participate in their most sacred ritual: the rite of manawa'ole."

Ukweli cocked her head incredulously. Picard gave a non-committed sigh and a disclaimer that what he was about to say came second hand from the Ferengi. "Apparently, chosen members of our delegation will be asked to journey with the Wakai elders down into an underground cavern called Aina'kua or 'the land of the gods.'"

With the push of a button, the floating globe was sliced in half revealing webs of blue light springing from its center. "The radioactivity from the planet's core apparently has some regenerative properties on carbon based matter. Some of that radiation comes to the surface through geologic vents. The cavern of Aina'kua has the highest concentration on the entire planet. That would explain why the gods reside there."

Ukweli nodded thoughtfully while inspecting a cross-section map of the planet hovering before her eyes. Picard sighed as he concluded his report. "Apparently, if the gods are pleased by our presence, they will show their favor by rejuvenating our bodies with metaphasic radiation."

Ukweli locked her jaw as she carefully selected her next words. "And, if they are not pleased?"

Picard shook his head. "In that event, the only contingency plan I have is that we would have to scout out a new planet for resettlement. Considering radiation is involved, there's no guarantee what our condition would be in the event of our failure... if we're even fortunate to return at all."

A somber haze hung over the table thicker than the holographic readouts for the next several seconds. Finally, Ukweli spoke. "I suppose that's what makes away missions so exciting." Picard nodded timidly before he spoke. "Quite frankly, if the Ferengi participated in the ritual and emerged unharmed, that certainly bodes well for us. The gods' standards surely can't be that high."

The two leaders shared a chuckle for a moment. Suddenly, a siren began to wail throughout the ship as crimson flashes started to bleed into the ship. Ukweli activated her combadge and signaled the bridge.

Before anyone could respond, the entire convoy was engulfed in a blinding flash of light and fire. Tremors struck the Destiny's hull which sent the breakfast dishes cluttering about the cabin. In the chaos, Picard dismissed the confidential intelligence hovering over the table with the push of a button. With another command, he hailed the leaders of the Romulan refugee fleet.

Finally, the sneering countenance of the Romulan Admiral I'ban materialized in the neighboring chair. Save for his translucent complexion and his flickering appearance, I'ban behaved as if he were a third person sitting at the table. After taking his bearings, I'ban turned to Ukweli with blazing fury burning behind his eyes. "Destiny, one of our civilian freighters tragically lost containment of its warp drive. The strain of fleeing the supernova caused too much damage."

The enraged Romulan then turned to Picard. His words pierced the air in a rapid fire barrage. "Eighty civilians have lost their lives. Two hundred more are suffering radiation burns due to improper shielding from the blast." He paused for effect as Picard absorbed the information with a reverent nod. "Our supplies are almost exhausted. The remaining fleet will barely make it to the Hokulea system. Per our agreement, you must make preparations for the civilians to immediately land upon our arrival to the planet."

Picard gave his condolences before speaking. "We are in the process of expediting Starfleet First Contact procedures as we speak. As this world is unknown to both of us, we must execute strict protocols to ensure minimal harm is delivered to both us and the indiengous people through our relations."

Picard glanced at Ukweli before delivering his ultimatum. "I ask for twenty-four hours which will allow us to establish proper diplomatic ties with the Wakai before your civilians can land."

I'ban sneered at Picard. "Who are you to give demands like this, Picard?! You are but one Federation vessel against a squadron of Romulan warbirds. What's to stop us from destroying your vessel and taking the planet for ourselves?"

Picard returned the Romulan's sneer with an undaunted steely-eyed stare. "Because I am the Federation's leading diplomat and your Praetor's daughter is my aide representing him in official capacity. If you harm us, you will not only face the collective wrath of the Federation but you will also receive a humiliating discommendation from your own government." Picard confidently sat back in his chair to deliver his final verbal blow. "Honestly, I can't imagine which would be worse."

I'ban softened his intimidating demeanor before speaking. "Fine. You will have your twenty-four hours." The Romulan turned to Ukweli to deliver his parting threat. "But if we are delayed so much as a minute beyond that, we will open fire on your vessel." He turned back to Picard. "I'm sure the Praetor would understand our reasoning if five thousand of his loyal subjects were denied life-saving shelter because the Federation decided to waste time with pointless protocols."

The taunting frame of the brusque Romulan admiral disappeared in a flicker of static.

After a heavy sigh, Picard knelt down to pick up one of the cracked dishes that struck the deck during the warp core breach. "Well, it was a lovely breakfast while it lasted. The least I can do is clean up my plate."

Ukweli placed her hand on Picard's shoulder. "You don't need to do that. Computer, execute housekeeping protocol." With a preprogrammed chime, the computer complied. Before Picard could reply, all the dishes, food, and stains from spilled shaah tea disappeared in a widespread transporter beam.

Picard nodded approvingly. "Impressive. I wish my vessels had that feature."

Ukweli curtly replied. "It has its advantages. Especially when the fate of the ship is on the line."

She then gestured for the two of them to head towards the bridge. "We have two hours before we arrive in the Hokulea system." Picard nodded. "Plenty of time to build an ironclad diplomatic strategy."

Ukweli smiled. "You read my mind, Picard."


	10. Episode 2, Chapter 2: The Wakai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Picard, Edala, Dr. Kakua, Lt. Commander Tereshkova and Cadet Nguyen make first contact with the Wakai people and experience the planet's strange cosmic phenomenon.

Chapter 2: The Wakai

The Hokulea system was blessed to house two celestial gems in its realm. The first was the twinkling blue giant star casting its sapphire light on all worlds in its orbit. The second gem came from the fourth planet in the system with its aquamarine glow. The surface of Hokulea 4 was a tapestry of brilliant blue seas and luscious green continents and islands.

Unlike Earth which held its land masses in tightly bound clusters, the land of Hokulea 4 closely resembled narrow threads which traversed the surface of the planet, running parallel and occasionally intersecting the large masses of water. Due to this evolutionary outcome to the planet, the Wakai people were predominantly seafarers. Their unity as a species came courtesy of several tribes of humanoids joining together to discover more lands to settle and more sophisticated methods of harvesting the sea's bounty.

With a powerful telescope, or long range sensor scan, a celestial observer could see several dozen unusual waves along the ocean's surface. They came courtesy of canoes and other seafaring vessels belonging to every tribe on the planet. They were converging on the land mass which housed the Aina'kua, the biggest territory on the island. It rested right on the equator and many of the isthmuses and narrow stretches of land sprung from it. From the right angle, the farside of the planet resembled an open eye with cataracts.

The tribes had been summoned to the Aina'kua when they heard that visitors from the skies would visit them for the second time in their history. Ironically, as the primitive seafarers sliced the oceans in their craft to arrive at their destination. They were overshadowed by another outrigger of sorts, slicing through the stars three hundred miles above the same destination.

When the Destiny finally arrived in geosynchronous orbit, the crew was already hard at work. Of all the compartments on the ship, the busiest was undoubtedly Transporter Room 1. Conversations reverberated around the cavernous chamber as members of the away team went to the replicator to retrieve their ship-issued supplies for their mission.

Captain Ukweli and Picard consulted the transporter chief for the appropriate beam-down coordinates. As the two senior officers reviewed their mission profile, Dr. Kakua addressed Edala, Tereshkova, and Ngyuen. With one hand, Dr. Kakua conducted a medical scan with sweeping gestures of his tricorder. The ship's surgeon wielded a hypospray in the palm of his other hand.

"The manawa'ole ritual involves exposure to metaphasic radiation." Kakua briefly passed the tricorder over Tereshkova to get her baseline readings. "As you may know, metaphasic radiation has a remarkable ability to heal organic tissue. Which is why…" Dr. Kakua briefly paused to inject Tereshokova's neck with his hypospray. "You will all be treated with a standard dose of biomedical sensing nanoprobes to record your physical reaction to the radiation."

Tereshkova winced as the hypospray injected a small army of molecule sized robots into her carotid artery. She gingerly rubbed the faint red ring which the injector left behind. Dr. Kakua moved on to scan Edala. "At present, no one knows who will be selected to participate in this ritual. That is why I am briefing you in case I am chosen. The nanoprobes will signal the necessary biological data to this tricorder." He waved the tricorder for effect. "If your physical condition appears to improve, whoever has this tricorder will signal the Destiny that the ritual appears to be a success so Captain Ukweli can prepare the Romulans for landing."

Edala raised an eyebrow after Dr. Kakua injected her with the nanoprobes. "And if we are unsuccessful, Doctor?" Dr. Kakua cringed slightly as he made his way to Nguyen. "Well, I have your baseline. And I promise you I will do everything in my power to bring you back to whatever your condition was before your exposure to the radiation."

Dr. Kakua steadied himself while gathering Nguyen's baseline data. "And if I happen to be irradiated beyond repair, I guess that's why we have Emergency Medical Holograms. They have twice my brain power but half of my charm." Nguyen locked his jaw as Dr. Kakua injected him with the nanoprobes. "Don't worry, the probes aren't permanent. They'll evacuate your systems within the next twenty-four hours. No muss. No fuss. No pilikia."

As Dr. Kakua repacked his medkit, Nguyen ignored the tingling pain in his neck and marched smartly to Picard. With his hand awkwardly jammed in his kit's tricorder flap, Dr. Kakua simply shrugged as he watched the young plebe address the ambassador after finishing his briefing with Ukweli and the transporter chief.

With textbook composure, Nguyen stood at attention and saluted Picard identifying himself as "Officer Candidate Kenneth Nguyen." Picard returned his salute and briskly made his way towards the transporter chamber. "Welcome aboard, Cadet." Picard made his way to the replicator and took his supplies from the receptacle.

Nguyen calculatedly stood at Picard's left. "I just wanted to thank you for selecting me for this mission, Ambassador. I know Cadets don't get this opportunity every day." A small smile broke on Picard's face as he slung the Starfleet issued satchel around his shoulder. "I heard you want an appointment to Starfleet Special Forces, maybe even the Security Council." Nguyen answered with a surprised nod. In those moments, he fought the temptation to look over at Edala who now stood on the right side of Picard.

"Yes, sir." Nguyen held the regulation composure for the first half of his reply. By the second word, the unbridled enthusiasm of his situation derailed any kind of professionalism. Picard chuckled wryly. "A diplomatic mission capable of plunging the entire quadrant into war is a perfect high-stakes introduction to that profession."

As Kakua and Tereshkova ascended the steps of the transporter chamber, Nguyen turned to Picard with enthusiastic earnestness. "Don't worry, Ambassador. If things go sideways down there, I've got you covered with my master phaser skills." Nguyen pointed to his standard issue phaser resting in his right holster. Now was Picard's turn to conceal unbridled emotion with professional decorum. "Absolutely not, Cadet!" Only two of the three words maintained military bearing.

A horrified expression overcame Nguyen's face. "But Ambassador, Starfleet regulations clearly state…" Picard recovered his previous emotional outburst with a more measured explanation of his actions. "Starfleet regulations can be amended when circumstances require it, Cadet. Our current situation definitely qualifies." Picard then leaned closely to Nguyen to further explain the mission. "We must peacefully make contact with the Wakai people within the next twenty-four hours or our fellow Romulan travelers will blow us out of the sky and take this planet for themselves. Records show the Ferengi were not armed when they successfully met the Wakai therefore we must follow the same example. This mission must succeed. "

Nguyen nodded sheepishly as he looked back at Picard for one final attempt at impressing the Ambassador. "Well, if it's helpful. I'm also trained in advanced hand to hand combat." Picard met Nguyen's suggestion with a diplomatic smile. "That is good to know and I'm sure I'll employ those skills for future missions. I just pray we won't use them on this one."

After ensuring that no member of the away team was armed, Picard ascended the steps to the transporter platform. Edala briskly joined him at his right and Nguyen to his left. In their final moments in the chamber, Picard confirmed with the Transporter Chief that they had 23 hours and 55 minutes to complete their mission before the Romulan deadline. "Then we're already five minutes behind, Chief." Picard replied. "Energize."

In a shower of light, the world around Picard, Nguyen, Edala, Tereshkova and Kakua morphed from a gleaming metallic cage into a spacious beach without a shred of metal anywhere. When the materialization process was completed, Nguyen shifted uncomfortably on the spongy tan sand. As Edala looked to the advancing ocean tides from the turquoise sea to their right, Dr. Kakua's eyes quickly surveyed the tropical vegetation that flanked them on their left. Tereshkova focused her gaze on the half dozen alien canoes resting on the bank behind them. At first glance, their sweeping and intricate designs reminded her of outrigger canoes she had seen back on Earth. The entire picturesque vista was framed by the shimmering turquoise glow of the Hokulea sun setting beneath the horizon.

Picard stared straight ahead at a shimmering glow coming from a procession of lifeforms moving towards the away team. At first glance, the glittering shimmer suggested a group of humans who were also materializing from their own teleportation process. But as they drew closer, Picard and his landing party got a better understanding of the Wakai people.

The humanoid inhabitants of Hokulea 4 glistened in the afternoon sunlight.. Their skin tone ranged from silver to light blue depending on their planetary habitat. Each of their heads sported a plumage of thick feather-like fibers. The tropical inhabitants sported vibrant colors such as red, yellow, and orange. The Wakai hailing from woodland regions of the planet were adorned in shades of brown and white. Finally, the heads of tundra dwelling Wakai were crowned in robust black and gray plumage. No matter their origin, each Wakai's eyebrows curved upwards resembling the brow of an owl.

Upon closer inspection, the Destiny's away team discovered that the vibrant glow radiating from the Wakai came from a layer of luminous scales which covered their entire body. Dr. Kakua peered closer and discovered that some scales were darker and collectively depicted tribal markings resembling a tattoo. The ship's surgeon fought the urge to pull out his tricorder and scan the approaching lifeforms. His eyes were focused on the mosaics of darkened scales on the Wakai's shoulders, legs, and arms. Were they tattoos given to them by their tribal elders or were they some kind of natural pigmentation? Only a tricorder scan could determine that but he knew he'd have to wait.

As Kakua's gaze returned to the away team, he saw Nguyen's body tremble. Kakua couldn't tell if the trembling came from either nerves or excitement. "Steady Cadet." Kakua whispered to the fledgling space-farer standing in front of him. "This is what Starfleet is all about: 'to seek out new life and new civilizations.'"

Picard remained unmoved by the surgeon's comments. He turned to Edala and Nguyen and instructed them to activate their Universal Translators. Nguyen nodded and squeezed the edges of his combadge with marksman-like efficiency. The low beeping sound indicated that his combadge was now sampling phonetic sounds from the approaching aliens and constructing a means by which the landing party could communicate. With Edala following suit with a small metal cylinder from her satchel, Picard returned his gaze to the procession which was now five meters away from them.

The procession of twelve Wakai, each representing a tribe on the planet, was led by an elderly woman. Her glowing golden eyes contrasted with the pale hue of her skin. The thick silver and black plumage on her head fluttered in the ocean breeze along with the white poncho she wore about her shoulders. She was flanked by a man and woman both dressed in thick skins from an arctic creature they had slain for warmth. The two Wakai representing the forest dwelling tribes were clad in cloth made from bark. The male sported a baldric which he draped from his left shoulder to his right hip. The female Wakai wore a similar cloth poncho to that the leader wore.

Behind them marched a small infantry of adolescents from the tropical regions, beneath their vibrant scarlet heads, they sported bandoliers of obsidian amulets. Their arms and chests bearing similar black tribal symbols to that of the older woman. Two muscular men flanked the delegation on each side. Each sentinel wielded a staff with a standard on top. Each banner was made of black feathers and shining blue obsidian. Nguyen couldn't be sure but he thought he heard a strange crackling coming from the guard's fingertips. If the procession's evolutionary kin were sea creatures, Kakua thought, the guards must have evolved from electric eels.

Despite the mission's tight schedule, Picard remained standing. If he approached the delegation prematurely, his actions could be interpreted as an insult. Instead he bowed his head to the sand to show deference.

When the Wakai finally met the away team, Picard raised his eyes to the elderly woman and waited for her to speak. The leader's radiant golden eyes surveyed every member of the landing party before speaking. Once she ascertained that Picard was the leader, she raised her webbed right hand and placed it on her chest. She then slightly bowed forward and uttered the Wakai's formal greeting. "Yao'rai."

A split second later, the mechanical voice inside the Universal Translator replied. "Life for a thousand years," Picard smiled and repeated the gesture with sacred sincerity. However, before he could give his name, the woman announced it. "You are Ambassador Jean-Luc Picard, we know." The woman's voice was gentle but matter of fact. She addressed the rest of the away team and indicated their names. Nguyen flinched as he heard his full name repeated back to him by a woman he had never met.

Picard smiled deferentially at the tribal elder. "You honor us with your knowledge, madam." The woman turned to Picard and clasped his hands in both of her weathered ones. "Our knowledge comes from Na'kua, the guardian gods of these lands. They told us of your coming many years ago." Picard smiled with diplomatic deference. "Well, I am glad you remembered our names."

The woman identified herself as "Ea." She explained that all tribes on this planet were unified under two leaders with two distinct sets of duties. She explained that her duty was to tend to the affairs of the living. Her counterpart, the male elder, was responsible for communing with the Na'kua and delivering their will to the rest of the Wakai.

Dr. Kakua nodded thoughtfully as Ea inspected the rest of the away team. "All is as Kali'o has foreseen." She turned to Edala and the two clasped their hands. Her webbed digits encompassed the Romulan's tanned hands. "Your people have struggled greatly." Ea proclaimed. "I pray that we can come to an agreement where they no longer have to suffer." Ea turned to Picard. "Come. You must meet Kali'o. He communes with the Na'kua." Ea led the way as the Destiny away team followed the procession down the beach.

As the Federation landing party trudged along the shifting sand, Ea explained their culture's history. According to historical accounts given to her by the Na'kua, the Wakai had originated from the sea. When the first Wakai walked on land, the Na'kua revealed themselves and bestowed upon them knowledge of things to come.

"For six eons, the foresight of the Na'kua has brought prosperity to this planet. Famines have been averted through their warnings. The Na'kua show us the errors of our ways before we commit them. Therefore we choose the better path." As Ea pressed onward, Tereshkova tried to suppress a frown. Of all the words the elder had said, the science officer scrutinized the word "eon" with empirical discipline.

If the Wakai had truly lived for six eons, or six billion years, their existence would predate humanity and even the planet Earth itself. If that were true, surely this species, by Tereshkova's calculations, would be far more developed than they appeared. She pondered the meaning of this word for the rest of their walk along the beach. When they finally arrived at their destination, she decided the word was a glitch from the Universal Translator. It had to be.

The landing party had arrived at the mouth of a cave. A small rocky pathway led out from its opening flanked on both sides by a dozen of the same kinds of standards the procession's sentinels had carried. Ea instructed the landing party to wait at the start of the path while Kali'o emerged from the Aina'kua: the cavern where the ritual was held.

Almost on cue, a handful of Wakai from every tribe emerged from the cave. Like Ea, they were all elderly. The burden of their numerous years weighed heavily on their heads and shoulders as evidenced by their faded plumage.

As the elders filed out of the cave, Ea explained that of all the Wakai on the planet, Kali'o is the eldest. His memories contained every instance from the distant past to "beyond the future's unknown horizon" as she explained. Finally, the cavalcade of elders finished and Kali'o stood at the threshold of the cave.

The landing party collectively repressed their shock as they looked at the man touted as the most prominent elder on the planet. Instead of a seasoned statesman weathered by countless years, Kali'o's appearance was that of a young adolescent male. His vibrant feather plumage indicated that he hailed from the tropical region of the planet and the tapestry of dark scales contrasted with his gleaming bare chest.

He walked up to Picard and greeted them with the signature bow and chest salute. "Yao'rai," His large golden eyes returned to gaze at Picard. "Welcome crew of the starship Destiny. Your presence honors us." Picard repeated the gesture and the greeting. "We are honored that you received us, Kali'o. Your willingness to help us in our time of need deeply moves us."

Kali'o gestured to the elders who vacated the cave before him. "Our Wakai consist of many cultures from many lands. Our differences make us stronger." Picard turned to Edala for dramatic effect. "In that way, our people are very similar to yours, Kali'o. Our way of life also includes people from many lands." Kali'o smiled. "Then, should the Na'kua wish it, I foresee great prosperity between our two people."

Picard nodded thoughtfully and asked when the ritual of manawa'ole would begin. Kali'o stared at Picard matter of factly. "I know you are short on time so we will act immediately." He indicated Nguyen, Edala, and Picard with his webbed hands. "You three have been chosen by Na'kua to journey into the Aina'kua. The rest of you must wait here."

The landing party complied. Picard, Nguyen and Edala filed into the cave with Kali'o leading the way as Kakua and Tereshkova were escorted back towards the beach by a collection of guards and scampering young children.

Kakua spent his time sitting on a large lava rock and gazing at the magnificent bay that surrounded him. His open tricorder incessantly relayed biomedical data on the away team. As Kakua's eyes nostalgically traced the luscious green canopies brushing the skies to the churning turquoise blue seas beneath them, Tereshkova incredulously stared at the surgeon.

"Shouldn't you be monitoring the biomedical readouts?" Tereshkova finally asked with her arms crossed. Kakua effortlessly raised his open tricorder with the display facing her. "Relax, Commander. I know my tricorder like Sanchez knows his engines. My ears are trained to hear the slightest chirp that is out of the ordinary. Right now, their readings are normal. I'll let you know if anything changes."

He placed the tricorder to his side and stood up. "In the meantime, I intend to treat part of this away mission as shore leave." Kakua surveyed the entire bay with a reminiscent smile. "My God, this place reminds me so much of Kealakekua Bay." Tereshkova frowned. "Where is that?"

"It's the bay where the British explorer Captain James Cook took second prize for discovering the Hawaiian Islands in 1778." An impish smirk tightened Kakua's face as he turned to Tereshkova who simply frowned. "Second prize, Doctor?" Dr. Kakua's face burst with glowing pride as he gave his response. "Yes, second prize. My ancestors found the islands first. Cook was about thirteen hundred years late."

He turned back to the churning waves and slowly approached them. "I grew up about an hour from that bay in Kailua-Kona. It's a fish sanctuary with an ecosystem that rivals the Great Barrier Reef. It's a magnificent place to snorkel, if you're into that sort of thing." He smiled and fought the temptation to splash his hand in the ebbing tide. "God knows, it's my thing. Swimming in Kealakekua Bay every sunny weekend almost made me want to specialize in Marine Biology at the Academy."

A faint smile rippled across Tereshkova's face. "Why didn't you?"

Kakua's eyes retreated from the churning ocean and focused on a tidepool between him and Tereshkova. With unbridled excitement, he crouched on his haunches and started waving his tricorder over the sandy cauldron of water. He was scanning for any possible infectious organisms before he dipped his hand. "I decided to follow my Tutu's example. My grandmother always put the needs of others over her own. Any time I was sick, she pulled me through. Our family benefited so greatly from her strength and wisdom." He dipped a sterile test tube into the tidepool. "It's been a while since I took my Hippocratic Oath but I'm sure what my Tutu did for me is somewhere in there."

He sealed the specimen tube and rose to his feet before putting the tube in his medkit. "Even still, I haven't given up on my hobbies. I'm looking forward to studying this seawater when we get back. I'd be happy to share my data with you if you'd like."

With the test tube safely in a cushioned compartment of his kit, Kakua turned to Tereshkova. "Do you have a favorite place to snorkel? Given you're a science officer, I'm sure you've taken some coursework in Marine Biology." Tereshkova shot Kakua a defensive look which softened into an embarrassing admission. "I can't swim, Doctor."

A shocked expression erupted on Dr. Kakua's face. "Well, Commander, it's never too late to learn. Especially with the seemingly endless medical miracles we keep discovering back on Earth and potentially places like this one..."

Suddenly, a series of discordant chirps came from Kakua's tricorder. On cue, Kakua shot to his feet and scanned the data display. Tereshkova approached him with her own tricorder drawn. Before Tereshkova could ask what the problem was, Dr. Kakua spun on his heel and began running towards the cave to Aina'kua.

As Tereshkova caught up, Dr. Kakua started his report. "You were wondering when we'd get a bad tricorder reading. Well, we got one, Commander." He then indicated that Picard and Nguyen's biosigns have spiked and dropped in unhealthy intervals. Edala's brainwave activity had intensified beyond safety limits. When they finally arrived at the mouth of the cave, Dr. Kakua collected himself and turned to Tereshkova. "Ready a transporter beacon. Inform the Destiny to transport us directly to sickbay. Tell my staff to prepare three crash carts for our arrival and prepare the quarantine compartment."

As Tereshkova rifled through her away team satchel for supplies, Dr. Kakua briskly walked up the steps to the cage. He met Ea and Kali'o at the entrance. Their faces were impassive as they emerged from the shadows. "What has happened? Where are my people?!" Dr. Kakua's frantic voice bordered on accusatory. "Your comrades have been appraised by the Na'kua…" Tereshkova shot a concerned look at Kakua. "...and transformed into their image." Ea added.

An icy tremor shot down Dr. Kakua's spine as he heard this news. He bit his lip in a reflexive effort to stop an emphatic curse. Every thought in his mind pushed for him to run into the chamber to retrieve his comrades but his Starfleet training intervened. "May we see them?" Ea turned to Kali'o. "Yes, you may, Doctor." Kali'o replied. "The Na'kua have left the chamber. You can no longer be transformed by their presence."

Another icy tremor shot through Dr. Kakua's palms. Sweat began to form at his scalp. Sparing no time for a reply, Kakua turned to Tereshkova who handed him a palm beacon. Within seconds, the two plunged themselves into the darkness without a shred of natural light to guide them.

Their frantic footsteps echoed through the narrowing walls of the cave. The chalky white walls of limestone surrounding them steadily became tinged with blue veins of luminescent obsidian. Suddenly, after forty five agonizing seconds, Dr. Kakua shut off his palm beacon after seeing a sliver of firelight pour in from a twisted turn in the cave.

Dr. Kakua unholstered his tricorder and inspected the new telemetry. "Their vital signs have normalized, for now. It looks like they're semiconscious." He pulled out a pair of hyposprays for himself and a second set for Tereshkova. "There's no telling what their condition will be when we wake them up." He pointed to the hypospray loaded with a black canister and explained that it was loaded with a mild alpha wave stimulant which should wake up the trio. Realizing he was frantically delivering medical instructions to a novice medic, Dr. Kakua added another layer of instruction. "Just remember this saying: 'black brings them back.'"

He then indicated the hypospray loaded with a red cartridge. He explained that this injector was loaded with a standard sedative. The dosage was calibrated to tranquilize a human for two hours, hopefully long enough to stabilize them back in sickbay. "Remember: 'red puts them to bed.'" Tereshkova whispered the two mnemonic devices as Dr. Kakua slowly turned back to the flake of firelight beyond the bend. "As humans, Picard and Nguyen just need one dose a piece. Since Edala is a Romulan I need to reprogram the hypospray to deliver twice the dosage." He shook his head tentatively before adding. "Maybe triple."

Once he confirmed that Tereshkova was ready, Kakua delicately peered into the cavern. The fragmented evidence he had gathered moments before suggested any scenario between the away team being assaulted by superior lifeform to the Starfleet trio being subjected to unthinkable experimentation. Since he was armed only with his hyposprays, he knew he couldn't take many risks.

The first thing the ship's surgeon saw was the dwindling glow of a massive torch which rested in the exact center of the chamber. The thick wooden base rested on a lattice of the same turquoise obsidian which he had seen sprawled out on the walls outside. He couldn't be completely positive but the obsidian seemed to glow on its own. Since his tricorder didn't register any hazardous radiation, he paid it no mind.

The threads of translucent blue stone interwove to form arteries which spanned the floor. One such artery led to the opposite end of the cavern where Dr. Kakua saw the faint outline of Edala's lifeless body. Her dark hair spilled along the sandy floor. Only the curve of her right ear could be seen as her face remained concealed in the shadows.

Since he had more medical training, Dr. Kakua made his way towards the comatose Romulan. Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw Picard's limp body slumped against the wall. His crumbling shoulders and bowed head suggested the aging ambassador had been thrown there by a massive force. Before he could issue the order, Tereshkova made his way towards Picard with hypospray in hand.

Out of his left eye, Kakua saw an obscure outline of Nguyen. The cadet's drooping frame seemed to melt onto the contours of the floor. His face directly collided with a collection of the turquoise obsidian. The cadet was young. He could recover. However, the 92 year old Picard definitely required more attention.

Finally arriving at Edala's lifeless frame, Dr. Kakua began his customary tricorder scan. In the split seconds before the Romulan's biological data populated the tricorder screen, Kakua turned to Tereshkova and Picard.

Before Tereshkova could deliver the alpha wave stimulant, Picard was already stirring. His hands rapidly clutched his chest as his eyes flung open. Terror beamed from his face as he briefly scanned the science officer's face uncomprehendingly. A split second later, terror evolved into confusion as his eyes and hands busied themselves about his tunic. His fingers were pining for his chest. Finally, when his fingers finally finished their survey, Picard gave out a deep sigh of relief. "He missed. I'm lucky that Nausicaan was just as bad at fighting as he was at shooting dom-jot."

His thumbs and forefingers then brushed along the outer flaps of the tunic spawning a confused expression on his face. He turned back to Tereshkova. "This isn't Starbase Earhart, is it?" The same bewilderment which plagued Picard now infected Tereshkova. Wearily she turned to Dr. Kakua and shrugged. Dr. Kakua responded with a similar shrug and cocked his head towards Nguyen who was also stirring.

The young cadet gingerly reeled in his limbs as he exhaustively struggled to prop himself upright. "Ensign Peters, any signs of marauders? Command wants a clear field before they extract us." Nguyen's voice boomed through the cavern.

Before Dr. Kakua could try to decipher Nguyen's audible riddle, he was greeted with a deafening shriek. The once comatose Romulan beneath him was unconscious no longer. Her muscles tensed as she quickly flung herself to her back. Edala's piercing brown eyes shifted in an instant from wide-eyed terror to savage hostility. A singular word echoed through the air as she shrieked. "Ali'am!"

As Dr. Kakua knelt down to steady the frightened Romulan, an eruption of aching pain rippled across his face. Edala's left fist had collided with his right cheek. In those stinging moments, Dr. Kakua stumbled backwards. Blinding arcs of light clouded his vision while his muscles fell limp. After staggering backwards for a few steps, the jostled surgeon collided with the back of the cavern wall. The next thing he heard was the clattering of Edala's combadge striking the floor.

When his faculties slowly returned to him, Dr. Kakua saw Edala's shadowy outline frantically dodge the torch in the middle of the chamber. She sprinted to the mouth of the cave as if her life depended on it. Before she crossed the threshold, Tereshkova slammed into her. The frantic Romulan tumbled head over heels into the cavern wall next to Picard.

The elder ambassador distraughtly rose to his feet and distanced himself from the seething young woman he once called his protege. As Edala quickly collected herself to make another escape attempt, Tereshkova blocked the passageway. With her right palm outstretched parallel to the floor, the science officer repeatedly pleaded for her to calm down using as soothing a voice as she could muster.

By this time, Dr. Kakua had returned upright. He clutched the hypospray loaded with the sedative. His eyes focused on Edala as she bolstered her strength in an attempt to pummel Tereshkova and run out of the cave. Although he had been briefly knocked senseless by Edala's left hook, he resolved that the irrational Romulan could not leave the chamber. If she exited the cave, Edala could mask herself in the planet's random radiation deposits and would never be found.

As Edala's muscles tightened to challenge Tereshkova, Dr. Kakua ripped off his medkit and secured the hypospray in his right hand. He knew his shipmate's remarkable athletic prowess was no match for the frightened Romulan's muscular superiority. If he could tackle Edala from the back, he could bring her to the ground. Then he could pump her full of enough sedatives to render her unconscious for transport back to the ship. It wasn't the best plan but it worked.

Edala bared her teeth as Tereshkova continued her requests for calm. In that split second, the cavern erupted in mayhem. Edala lept towards Tereshkova intent on smashing her head against the cavern wall. Before her hands struck the weaker human, Dr. Kakua wrapped his arms around the soaring Romulan. Kakua and Edala struck the nearby wall with a massive thud.

Wasting no time, Dr. Kakua held Edala's hysterical body against the wall with one arm and aimed the hypospray towards her neck. The task was made exponentially more difficult since Edala thrashed her head in virtually every direction shrieking. "What have you done!? You Federation butchers!" Before she could speak again, the hypospray made contact with her neck and injected the first dose of sedative.

To Kakua's surprise and horror, the dose triggered a sudden burst of aggressive malice. Edala thrust her head to strike Dr. Kakua's with all her strength. This time, Dr. Kakua dodged the blow and injected two doses of sedative. Kakua's success was met with a brusque strike from Edala's knee to his gut. Dr. Kakua gasped but maintained his grip on the frenzied Romulan. Undaunted, Edala continued her struggle. Every muscle lashed out against Dr. Kakua in an all-out assault. While her limbs relentlessly struck the surgeon, her lungs bellowed out deafening shrieks. "You abducted us didn't you!? You're going to kill us, aren't you?"

She clenched her right hand into a fist and struck Dr. Kakua's chest. Dr. Kakua gritted his teeth as Edala's knuckles cast a numbing arc of pain across the upper half of his torso. Another hiss filled the air as Dr. Kakua fired another dose into her neck. Then, to his horror, a red light appeared on the hypospray indicating the cartridge was empty. Romulan physiology required twice the dosage when compared to humans. And apparently, more was required when that Romulan was in a stage of fight or flight.

Dr. Kakua pressed Edala against the wall and gestured for Tereshkova to hand him her sedative loaded hypospray. Through it all, Edala's eyes widened in terror. "The Romulan Star Empire will avenge my death!" Edala's muscles tightened as she readied herself for another strike. Suddenly, Edala's eyes began to wobble. Her jaw became slack. "My father is… You will…" With a new hypospray in hand, Dr. Kakua quickly set it for a Romulan dose but it was unnecessary. At long last, the maniacal Romulan succumbed to unconsciousness.

"Finally!" Dr. Kakua swore as he rose to his feet. Satisfied that the away team was secured, all things considered, he made his way to the opposite side of the cavern where his medical tricorder rested upside down in the dirt.

Brushing the dust off the display, Dr. Kakua purposefully made his way back to Edala to re-assess her vital signs. Halfway through his journey back, Tereshkova hailed the Destiny with instructions for beam-out.

Spots of multicolored light peppered Edala's tanned skin as Dr. Kakua waved the device over her face and chest.

Finally satisfied, Dr. Kakua folded the tricorder and placed it back into his pocket. "Be sure to write that one into the Away Team manual. 80 cc's of deca-paraldehyde works just as well on a Romulan as the stun setting on a standard issue phaser."

Picard tentatively made his way to Edala's unconscious body. He seemed terrified that Edala could lash out at any moment and fight again. Satisfied that the Romulan woman was sufficiently sedated, he turned to Dr. Kakua and stared at his belt. "This is the most amateur away mission I've ever seen." Picard then turned to Tereshkova who was helping Nguyen to his feet. "You apprehend a belligerent Romulan and none of you have phasers. Who's the lackadaisical lunatic who ordered that?"

Shock struck the cavern. Tereshkova and Dr. Kakua remained silent as they awkwardly pondered a response. Before they could speak, Picard's eyes became transfixed on Tereshkova. The stray strands of blonde hair across her face absorbed all of his attention.

"Well, what's done is done." Picard finally said, trying to appear relaxed and collected in front of Tereshkova. "Hey, thanks for looking me over. I'd love to pay you back. I can make a Tzartak Aperitif that'll make your knees melt."

Picard's offer struck Tereshkova harder than her collision with Edala moments earlier. Her entire body violently flinched in response to the adolescent line delivered from a 92 year old ambassador. As she fashioned a response that conformed to Starfleet protocol, Dr. Kakua turned away from the team to suppress a violent urge to burst out laughing.

After a few seconds, Tereshkova regained her bearings and turned back to Picard. "Thank you, you're too kind; but that won't be necessary."

Undeterred, Picard continued. "Least I can do for a fellow shipmate. We are shipmates, right?"

Tereshkova impatiently stared at the ceiling. She hated it when men tried to woo her. Next to pernicious variables in a data set, it was her biggest gripe. The situation wasn't made any better with Dr. Kakua slamming his eyes shut and mopping tears from his face.

Not getting any help from her medic, Tereshkova turned back to Picard. "Technically, we are not."

"Well, I'd like to be," Picard aggressively replied. "Tell me the name of your ship and I'll put in for a transfer."

Tereshkova impatiently placed her right hand to her temple. This answer materialized a lot quicker than the previous two. "I appreciate your offers but with all due respect, Ambassador, you're not my type."

Now was Picard's turn to be violently taken aback. "Ambassador? Now, wait a minute. You must have me confused with someone else!"

Having finally collected himself, Dr. Kakua interjected. "She's correct, Picard. And to answer your question from earlier, the 'no phaser thing' was your idea. We're on a diplomatic mission."

Picard's jaw dropped in shock as his eyes widened. "I'm serious. I am not an Ambassador and planning an away mission is far above my rank."

Dr. Kakua frowned. "And what rank would that be?"

"Ensign." Picard replied matter of factly. "I am Ensign Jean-Luc Picard."

Before either Tereshkova or Kakua could reply, Nguyen muttered a curse in Vietnamese as he finally surveyed the area around him. "I can't believe I'm back here. Of all the worlds I ever visited, Hokulea 4 ranks towards the bottom. It almost made me quit Starfleet." He then peered through the darkness and saw Tereshkova and Kakua. "Joe, Svetlana, good to see you. It's been a long time."

Tereshkova turned to Kakua in shock. Before she could ask, Dr. Kakua signaled for the Destiny to beam them up while Edala was unconscious.


	11. Episode 2, Chapter 3: Out of Time, Out of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the crew of the Destiny discovers two possible theories for Picard, Edala, and Nguyen's unusual transformations.

Chapter 3: Out of Time, Out of Sorts

Captain's Log Stardate: 75207.4: During a First Contact mission with the Wakai people, three members of our crew were exposed to unknown cosmic radiation which has appeared to have incapacitated them. Picard, our esteemed statesman, appears to have regressed to his Academy days. Nguyen, resident trainee cadet, possesses the psyche of a man who has aged several decades in a matter of seconds. As for Edala, our Romulan cultural attache, we cannot keep her conscious long enough to properly articulate how the radiation has affected her.

With 18 hours until our deadline from the Romulans, we must determine the nature of this radiation before we can commence resettlement of the refugees.

Waves of blue light rippled across Picard, Nguyen, and Edala from every angle in their shared alcove in sickbay called the quarantine compartment. Picard fidgeted as he sat on the biobed. Nguyen spent the duration of the scan admiring the youthful appearance of his hands, arms and biceps. Edala, on the other hand, lay unconscious with her limbs bound to her biobed.

Captain Ukweli looked on as Dr. Kakua and Tereshkova inspected the data readouts on their personal padds. The floodlights clicked back on in the compartment which signaled that the scan was completed.

Ukweli meticulously studied the three away team members before crossing her arms. "What do we know?"

Dr. Kakua went to his office desk and picked up a stack of padds with the fresh data from the scan. He handed one to Tereshkova before speaking. "As you can see, we're still gathering data," Kakua handed a padd to Ukweli who briefly glanced at the scans. "but we have two developing hypotheses."

Before Dr. Kakua could continue his report, Picard sprung to his feet and approached the compartment's gateway. "I demand to see the Captain! My career depends on it."

Ukweli shot Kakua and Tereshkova an incredulous look. Dr. Kakua shrugged and tilted his head towards Picard as a suggestion for Ukweli to humor the disoriented statesman. After a heavy sigh, Ukweli made her way to the compartment's forcefield and identified herself as captain of the Destiny.

"Captain, I am glad to meet you." The disoriented cadet in an elderly man's body halfheartedly attempted to blend rigid professionalism with sincere appreciation. "There has been a mistake. I have not been assigned to your outfit and I'm pretty sure I'm absent without leave. I am overdue for the U.S.S. Reliant. Judging by your uniforms, you're clearly a special branch of Starfleet. Section 31, perhaps. I don't know. I'm probably not supposed to know."

Ukweli turned to Dr. Kakua. "The Reliant?"

Kakua nodded. "He was stationed on the U.S.S. Reliant right after graduating the Academy. That is the second Reliant; not the first one which was blown up by the Genesis Device."

Picard then gingerly placed his palm to his scalp and scowled in disgusted terror. "Apparently, I have been the victim of some sort of prank. Probably Zweller and Batandis. I wouldn't put it past them to shave my head and stow me away on a different ship after one too many drinks."

Ukweli turned to Kakua who simply responded that the names were references to Academy classmates.

As Picard sought to persuade Ukweli to let him go, Nguyen kept a tight lip. He still fixated himself on the youthful physical vessel he now possessed.

Finally, after a few moments of mulling over what she had been told, Ukweli finally had an answer. "I will see what I can do, Ensign."

She then pressed a button on the side of the alcove which projected an opaque hue to the undulating forcefield.

Ukweli turned towards Dr. Kakua and Tereshkova to request their two theories.

Dr. Kakua tentatively wrung his hands as he made his way back to his desk to collect the away team tricorders. "The cosmic phenomenon the rest of the away team encountered has two components. There's a biological component which is my specialty and then there's the quantum element which the Commander can tell you."

Taking her cue, Tereshkova began her report by explaining that the planet's unknown cosmic radiation caused a major time reversal in the subatomic particles that made up each of their nervous systems. Ukweli raised an eyebrow. "Major time reversal... in their particles?"

Tereshkova explained that at the subatomic level, particles can revert to their previous states when exposed to weak nuclear forces. For example, the collision of a negatively charged electron and a positively charged proton can yield a neutron and a neutrino but can also be reversed if the neutrino and neutron collide with each other. "In this case, the cosmic force that acted on the away team -which we currently call 'the radiation'- caused the particles that made up their nervous systems to revert to earlier structures and compositions." Tereshkova handed over a data set from the medical scan.

Ukweli looked over the data set. "What kind of earlier structures are we talking about here?"

"That's where the biological field comes into play." Dr. Kakua stepped in and handed Ukweli a padd with two sets of brain scans done on Picard. The first scan occurred when Picard beamed down to the planet for the away mission. The second scan just occurred with him in the scanning compartment.

Dr. Kakua pointed to the hippocampus, the region of the brain which encodes, stores, and retrieves memories. After explaining its function, Dr. Kakua highlighted the disparity of connections between the first scan and the second. "When Picard beamed down to the planet, his brain contained trillions of connections, which we call synapses, between the hippocampus and the rest of his brain: parietal lobe for sensations, limbic lobe for emotions, the A2 cortex for remembering sound, ventral stream for visual memories, etc. These connections potentially account for decades of memories."

Ukweli nodded indicating that she followed so far. "These connections appear to have vanished as a result of the radiation. The axonal connections, which neurons use to make connections, appear to have reverted to earlier stages of development."

Tereshkova stepped in. "Essentially, the components of Picard's brain -and therefore his consciousness- have traveled approximately sixty years back in time."

"Possibly, his consciousness." Dr. Kakua corrected. "We don't know if the information encoded in the brain has been erased or just the connections have."

Despite the semantic correction, Ukweli brought her piercing eyes onto the young science officer. "Traveled back in time. You're suggesting time travel is somehow at play here."

Unimpressed by the outlandish statement, Dr. Kakua tactfully gestured to Tereshkova before announcing, "That's one possible theory."

Tereshkova raised a padd containing biomedical data collected from the away team's nanoprobes. A holographic rendering of Nyugen's perspective of the ritual appeared before them. Tereshkova explained that this video was obtained by Nguyen's combadge.

In the floating digital rendering, Ea and Kali'o lit the torch in the center of the chamber with Picard and Edala standing on opposite sides of the cavern. With the torch lit, the two Wakai elders began to chant. With every mantra, small veins of blue light trickled down the torch to the latticework of shimmering obsidian. After the seventh mantra, a blast of blue light erupted from the center of the cavern. In an instant, Picard, Edala and Nguyen were caught in its grip.

Tereshkova froze the image with the three members of the Away Team suspended in the wake of the cosmic radiation. She focused on Picard and Edala's likenesses. Their bodies appeared indistinct. Their current physical appearances were layered with their past and future forms. The older versions of themselves appeared in shadows superimposed over their current bodies. Their younger selves shimmered underneath their current translucent facade.

"Frankly, this phenomenon reminds me of the nesting dolls my babushka used to give me for my birthday. And for good reason." She pointed to the biomedical readout. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Doctor, but these readouts are chaotic precisely because the nanoprobes area flooded with biological signals from different stages of their lives."

Dr. Kakua nodded silently before Tereshkova continued. "Essentially, in this one instant, everything Picard, Nguyen, and Edala are, were, and will ever be materialized shortly after the radiation struck them." Tereshkova then continued the video recording. In an instant, Picard and Edala's bodies were replaced with more youthful versions of themselves before reverting back to their original form. "For reasons we do not know yet, every point of these individuals' lives converged on this moment. By the end of the ritual, the present versions were replaced with versions from different timeframes."

Tereshkova then placed the padd down on Dr. Kakua's desk and turned to the surgeon. "So, yes. One of our theories is these individuals have in fact traveled through time." Dr. Kakua took the padd from the desk and nodded vaguely.

Captain Ukweli looked at Picard's brainscan. "So, if every moment of their lives converged in one instant, what happened to the original versions of our crew? Were they transposed? Could a 92 year old Picard now be serving as a young Ensign on a vessel sixty years ago?"

Dr. Kakua shook his head and pulled up Nguyen's brainscan. "Perhaps, but we have another theory. That's where we get into my medical hypothesis. It seems like the radiation performed some sort of neurological trauma on our three shipmates." He pointed to a table where he arranged all three sets of brain scans in a before and after arrangement. "None of these brain scans appear to be the same. Whereas Picard's nervous system lost trillions of synaptic connections, the number of synaptic connections around Nguyen's hippocampus have gained even more connections than Picard lost."

Tereshkova interjected. "These connections suggest that Nguyen has memories from several decades into the future."

Dr. Kakua pointed to the spiderwebbed synaptic connections. "But again, just like with Picard, there's no proof at the moment that these connections are empirically tied to knowledge of future events. The skyrocketing synapses could be the result of some kind of mutation caused by the radiation."

Dr. Kakua then pulled up an analysis of each post-ritual brain scan. "Another detail to add is that after cross-referencing all medical literature on biological matter's reaction to temporal displacement, I can tell you that there's a reasonable chance to rule out time travel." Dr. Kakua confidently swept his hand along the three displays.

"Why is that, Doctor?" Ukweli asked. Her voice carried a hint of optimism that there might be a chance to avoid invoking Starfleet's Temporal Prime Directive of noninterference in the timeline.

"Because, whenever biological matter travels through time, there are indicators of the experience like decaying tachyon particles, errant quantum signatures, or other exotic chronometric matter." Dr. Kakua gave a heavy sign before gesturing to the padds. "There hasn't been any trace of these telltales in the away team."

Tereshkova interjected. "But instruments only detect what they're designed to measure. This 'radiation' is obviously something new so it makes sense why the scanners can't register them."

Dr. Kakua gave a playful smirk before giving his response. "That's true." He nudged Tereshkova. "I guess there's a chance you and I might headline a new cosmic phenomenon then. We'll call it the Tereshkova-Kakua Effect."

Ukweli crossed her arms before speaking. "As much as I want to congratulate you on your impending contribution to the history of science, we have a major issue to confront." She explained the ultimatum given to her by the Romulan Admiral I'ban: resettle the refugees within 24 hours or prepare for an attack. "Does this cosmic phenomenon have the same effect on Romulans?"

Dr. Kakua chuckled sardonically before gesturing to the padd with her brain scans. "Here's a confounding variable if I ever did see one." The two images couldn't be more different. The control brain scan showed pristine collections of lobes, synapses and perfectly ordered electrical activity. The more recent brain scan was a mess of clouded electrical storms completely obscuring the synaptic structures they needed to examine.

"Either as a result of the radiation or the state of shock in which we found her, I cannot get a reliable scan of Edala's nervous system." Dr. Kakua highlighted a textbox which showed graphs of Edala's neurotransmitter and hormone levels. Each level was exponentially higher than usual. "Honestly, she's the best candidate for proving my theory about neurological trauma."

He punched up a display which showed Edala continuing to rest on the biobed with sedatives pumping into her neck. "We've pumped her full of sedatives for the last five hours and we are still getting this kind of reaction."

Tereshkova interjected. "As unfortunate as it may be, we need to consider the possibility that the radiation is inherently toxic to Romulans."

Captain Ukweli cupped her chin in her hand. "If we did that, we'd have to cancel the Romulan resettlement process…" After a few moments of thinking, Ukweli uncoupled her chin from her jaw and emphatically slammed her palms to her sides. "I can't accept that theory. Not yet."

She then sharply turned to Tereshkova. "I need you to isolate all the variables to get me a definitive account of what this radiation is and what it can do. Have a landing party assemble in Transporter Room 8 in ten minutes. We're pressed for time, so use your discretion to abridge whatever Starfleet protocols as necessary."

As Tereshkova briskly made her way to the science labs, Dr. Kakua turned to his captain. "It would help me test my neurological trauma theory if I had more access to the patients. May I debrief the patients and scan their brains?"

Ukwlei gave a heavy sigh and spared a handful of seconds to mull over a response. "You can after Tereshkova can rule out her time travel theory. It is too risky otherwise, Doctor." Ukweli said as she turned to leave sickbay. "If these alternate versions have truly switched places with their current selves, we have a bigger threat to face: the integrity of the space-time continuum."

She continued. "Therefore, until Tereshkova can clear them, they must be quarantined to prevent any contamination to the timeline. That way, if we do have to send them back where they came from, their experience with us will be as inconsequential as waiting in a transporter queue."

Dr. Kakua quickly moved to remain abreast of his Captain. "With all due respect to the space-time continuum, Captain, I'm not suggesting we blatantly spoil the destinies of these three individuals. I have a more subtle approach in mind."

Ukweli stopped and stared at Dr. Kakua. "What do you suggest?"

Dr. Kakua eagerly reached out his hands. "Back when Earth was stricken with antiquated cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's, physicians tried to rehabilitate the memories of their patients as the disease progressed by dropping hints and suggestions to repair the synaptic damage."

Ukweli nodded slowly. "Yes,"

Dr. Kakua pointed to the trio in the compartment. "If I can drop suggestions from Picard's dossier about his current life -images, phrases, and the like- I could potentially spark his memory and repair those missing connections. As for Nguyen, if I can confirm that these new synaptic connections are viable and not some kind of abnormal overgrowth, it will either confirm or disprove Tereshkova's theory and we can double our efficiency."

Ukweli shook her head slowly. "And if you slip up in the slightest, Doctor, forbidden information about the future will be revealed to us and foreknowledge of current events could be sent back to the past. That means you and I will certainly get court-martialed for violating the Temporal Prime Directive."

Dr. Kakua's voice became barbed as he responded. "From what you've told me, Captain, if we can't resettle the Romulans in less than eighteen hours, the Temporal Prime Directive won't matter because they'll blow us out of the stars. Not to mention doing that will probably start an interstellar war with the Federation."

Ukweli paused and cupped her chin in her hand as Dr. Kakua continued to make his case. "Forgive the ancient adage but, 'pick your poison, Captain.' We could either take a chance and possibly face the music with a tribunal safe and sound on Earth or we could rigidly follow regulations, undermine the efficiency of our research, and definitely get blown up by a bunch of angry Romulans."

Ukweli stepped away from the hatch leading out of sickbay as she pondered the dilemma Kakua laid out.

As Ukweli contemplated the unappealing ethical impasse, Dr. Kakua made his closing statement. "And if I'm wrong and we do have to send Picard and Nguyen through time, I can perform some microsurgery to sever the synaptic connections to the contaminating memories."

Ukweli looked to Dr. Kakua with a curious look. "You can do that, Doctor?" Dr. Kakua nodded deeply. "I just read the Pulaski text on the subject, ma'am. She describes the procedure as a 'synaptic haircut.' There's a 75 percent accuracy rate amongst humans. It's not perfect, but it is somewhat viable."

Ukweli bit her lip before nodding. "Alright, Captain. You got your wish. With some conditions."

Dr. Kakua's lips turned up in a fleeting smile. "Name them."

"Picard stays with me." Ukweli's voice was firm. "I will choose what he knows and what he doesn't as you hopefully derive a cure for all this. That way, if the Temporal Investigations Department wants to snoop around for anyone to interrogate it'll be me."

She promptly made her way back to the opaque forcefield with a shrug. "Who knows, maybe this fledgling junior officer still possesses some of that signature Picard diplomacy." She pressed her hand to the forcefield controls and the opaque wall of energy dissipated into thin air.

Since his initial conversation with Ukweli, Picard continued to fidget behind the opaque wall like a guilt stricken child awaiting punishment from his parents. Picard quickly jumped to his feet and assumed a position of attention when he saw Captain Ukweli enter the compartment.

"As you were, Ensign," Ukweli promptly replied. As Picard placed his hands behind his back to appear at ease, Ukweli unveiled told Picard the truth in the best way she could. "I consulted some experts on your situation and we have come to an agreement."

Picard's eyes fell to the deck as she laid down her order. "Before you are returned to the Reliant, you must help us complete a mission concerning a detachment of Romulans."

Picard's eyes lit up as he raised his gaze from the deckplates. "Romulans?!" His voice was giddy. His arms trembled in excitement as his fingers feverishly twitched. The notion that he was selected for a mission of such prestige caused every cell in his body to surge with euphoric excitement.

Ukweli contrasted Picard's excitement with a sharp nod. "Yes, Romulans. The full mission is classified to the highest security clearance. Details are on a need to know basis. You were selected for this mission based on your aptitude in dealing with delicate situations like ours."

Picard muzzled a smile before saying. "Is that why you delayed my assignment to the Reliant and abducted-" A forced cough interrupted his statement to allow him to clarify his statement. "I mean 'brought' me to this Section 31 vessel?"

"Those are your words, Picard. Not ours." Ukweli's emphatic response admonished Picard causing him to look down at the deckplates again. "Remember, you are on a need to know basis. One prime condition to this mission is whatever happens on this vessel cannot be revealed to anyone, especially when you return to your post on the Reliant."

As Ukweli addressed Starfleet's oldest junior officer, Dr. Kakua remained out of sight nodding his head approvingly. He admired how Ukweli diplomatically manipulated the true details of what happened in a way that avoided the Prime Directive.

After Ukweli finished her briefing Picard eagerly rose to the tips of his toes. "I'm ready, Captain. When do I start?"

Suddenly, Picard's face melted into a horrified grimace as he caught his reflection on one of the mirrors in sickbay. During this time, the forcefield had prevented him from seeing the full image of his face.

With staggering disbelief, Picard burst through the threshold of the compartment to fully confirm that he was a 21 year old man in a 92 year old's body. He furiously muttered a salvo of obscenities in French while his fingers meticulously inspected every wrinkle on his weathered face. After surveying the new topography of his face, Ensign Picard turned to his hands and arms. When his eyes finally saw the wisps of gray hair on his chest, he lividly roared. "What have you done to me!?"

As if on cue, Dr. Kakua stepped in and gently placed his hand on Picard's shoulder. "Easy, Ensign. The first thing you need to know about this mission is that anonymity is a paramount. Your cells were altered right before you came aboard." Dr. Kakua glanced at Ukweli who nodded approvingly.

"Why in God's name would someone take the trouble to make me look older for a mission like this?" Picard demanded as he repeated an inspection of his aged body. Dr. Kakua smirked as he reflexively gave a response. "Because it's the exact opposite of who you really are, Ensign. Think of it as the perfect disguise. It's one of the many tricks we've had to use for this mission."

Picard spent a few moments mulling over what Dr. Kakua said before nodding slowly. "I guess that makes sense. But why did you call me 'Ambassador?' Is that part of my disguise, too?"

Beads of sweat started pooling on Dr. Kakua's scalp. The conversation was now potentially drifting into the territory of violating the Temporal Prime Directive. Before he could respond, Ukweli stepped in with her own. "Yes, for the purposes of this mission, you are masquerading as a Federation Ambassador. However, you report to me. Now, if we are done here, I need to brief the Ambassador on the relevant details of the mission."

As Picard and Ukweli filed out of Sickbay, Kakua made his way back to the compartment to find Nguyen laying on a biobed with his right hand draped over his forehead. Finally, as the doors hissed shut, Nguyen let out a boisterous chuckle. "I gotta tell you, it's great to be back on the Destiny again. That exchange gets funnier every time I see it."

He then collected himself and sat up in the biobed to stare directly at the ship's surgeon. "I'm sorry, I let my feelings get the better of me. I definitely shouldn't have said that."

Dr. Kakua bit his lip and turned away from the oldest cadet in Starfleet History. "No, Cadet. No, you shouldn't have."


	12. Episode 2, Chapter 4: Isolating Variables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Dr. Kakua weighs the virtues of the prime directive while examining Nguyen and Edala. Picard and Captain Ukweli discuss all options concerning the threat of armed Romulan conflict.

Chapter 4: Isolating Variables

Chief Medical Officer's Log Supplemental

We are halfway towards our deadline with the Romulans and we are slowly gaining progress towards understanding the cosmic phenomenon that has affected our crew. With Tereshkova studying radiation patterns on the planet's surface, my job is to meticulously examine its medical effects without violating the Temporal Prime Directive.

In science, our method for solving problems involves isolating and eliminating variables. My biggest variable right now is resting in a biobed pumped full of sedatives. But for me to solve that problem, I need to have a working definition of how this radiation affects humans.

"Stand still, Cadet," Dr. Kakua steadfastly held the scanning probe of his medical tricorder to the right side of Nguyen's face. With masterful poise, Kakua gently dragged the scanning probe across Nguyen's black hair, slightly arching his path above the right ear and transitioning to the back of his head.

Nguyen smiled as the probe made its return run towards his left temple. "It's been a while since anyone has called me that."

"I'm sure people have called you a lot of things, Kenny." Dr. Kakua responded as he finished his scan. "But please do your old friend a favor and keep them to yourself. I don't want to get slapped with hard time on a penal asteroid somewhere because I know the name of your first three children."

Nguyen smirked as Dr. Kakua began evaluating the results. "I'll be sure to introduce you to Huey, Louie, and Dewey when you visit my beach house on Risa. My two-time Miss Betazed wife makes a mean Banh Mi."

Dr. Kakua chuckled dryly. "Very funny! Only yesterday you nearly passed out when a young Romulan girl said 'hi' to you. Now, you're married to a galactic beauty queen?"

Nguyen's expression became sour as he turned to Edala who remained sedated on her biobed. "What can I say? People change, Doc."

Dr. Kakua frowned as he read the data. "Well, based on the abnormally high levels of Acetylcholine in your cerebral cortex, I'd almost say you were telling the truth." The befuddled surgeon managed to salvage a joke from the bad news by reporting the rest of the readout. "But then your eye dilation, skin temperature and blood pressure all say you're full of it."

Nguyen shrugged. "Hey, I may be on the wrong side of 100 but I still remember my Starfleet protocols."

Dr. Kakua nodded as he plugged in his tricorder into the main computer. "The synaptic connections and neurotransmitter levels in your brain appear to confirm your age." He placed the scanning probe unhappily on the table. "And that makes this mission all the more complicated."

Nguyen stiffened his facial expression and recited the directive with military precision. "General Order 157: A Starfleet Officer cannot interfere with the natural course of historical events under penalty of dishonorable discharge and/or imprisonment."

"The very same," Dr. Kakua responded as more detailed maps of Nguyen's brain populated the digital wall he faced.

"Honestly, if the Temporal Prime Directive were really that important, you'd think it wouldn't be the 157th order. It would at least easily rank in the top ten. Maybe the top five." Nguyen snickered as he turned to Dr. Kakua.

"Remind me to recommend that change to Starfleet Command if we ever get out of this mess." Dr. Kakua absent-mindedly said as he focused on the bundles of axons sprawling out of Nguyen's hippocampus displayed before him.

Nguyen looked at Edala's placid frame resting on the bio-bed. He spent a few moments transfixed on the peaceful expression on her face. Finally, almost by reflex he declared. "Just as beautiful as the last time I saw her… all those years ago."

A disgusted expression twisted Dr. Kakua's face as he furiously confronted Nguyen. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that, Cadet. Information like that is the last thing I need right now."

Nguyen shrugged. "Hey, I just said I hadn't seen her in several years. You don't know what that means. What I just said is every bit as truthfully vague as that con job Captain Ukweli pulled on Picard."

"Fine, but please keep your truthfully vague details to yourself. If Captain Ukweli hears details like that, you get confined to quarantine and I get demoted from chief surgeon to resident proctologist." Dr. Kakua said as he despairingly looked at Edala's clouded brain scans.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Nguyen turned to Dr. Kakua helpfully. "You haven't figured out what's wrong with her, have you?"

Dr. Kakua gave out a disgusted grunt for a reply.

"How much time do we have before the Romulans open fire?" Nguyen stood up and put his hand on Dr. Kakua's shoulder. "A little less than twelve hours," Dr. Kakua said, burying his head in his hands.

"At this rate, you'll find out what's wrong with her by the time the Romulans conquer Sector 001 and turn San Francisco into a lake of fire." Nguyen observed.

"What do you suggest?" Dr. Kakua said, turning to Nguyen in disgust.

"Listen," Nguyen said. "The Temporal Prime Directive is great at preventing schmucks from traveling back in time and changing the galaxy for their own benefit but if you took a look where I'm from, you'd understand why I say bending the rules might not be the worst idea."

Dr. Kakua looked at Nguyen incredulously. "How far do you suggest we bend the rules?"

Nguyen raised his hands tentatively. "I'm only suggesting dropping hints. Little nudges to expedite your discoveries only because we have a squadron of angry aliens parked outside and they outgun us about twenty four to one."

Dr. Kakua slowly nodded as Nguyen continued. "As far as History is concerned, you still make the discoveries and you loosely followed the same steps in making them, you just had a little help. And I promise, I won't even be offended if you leave me out of your memoirs when all this is said and done."

Dr. Kakua slowly smiled and looked at Nguyen. "You're on, Cadet."

Nguyen eagerly pulled up a chair and sat next to Dr. Kakua. "So, where are we at, Doc? What's the process?"

"For us to avert the impending firefight, I need to determine if the radiation Edala was exposed to is toxic to Romulans." Dr. Kakua pointed to the screen. "I was hoping that a more complete map of your cerebral cortex would give some clues but I haven't any."

Nguyen gave a thoughtful grunt and nod. "It is tricky."

Nguyen took a heavy sigh and walked to the forefield which caged Edala's sleeping body. "Let me put it this way, Doctor. You're on the right track. Convincing Captain Ukweli to let you personally examine the patients is the right idea. But your approach right now is incomplete."

Dr. Kakua cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Incomplete?"

Nguyen raised his head to give a heavy sigh and then wrung his hands. "Let's do a head count: three members of the crew were exposed to the cosmic radiation. Picard is conscious and being briefed by Captain Ukweli. I am conscious and am working with you. I'd say your plan is about 66 percent effective at this point."

Dr. Kakua's eyes widened as he stared at Edala. "You want me to revive her, given her excited neurochemical state? You saw her down on the planet! You saw what she did."

Nguyen impatiently waved his hands to dismiss Dr. Kakua's argument. "I agree that she was a handful but I think you can get a lot more data from her if she's awake."

Dr. Kakua sighed as he pulled up her most recent brain scan. "I was hoping to wait until her chemical levels tapered off before waking her up. If I wake her up now, she'll be just as violent as before."

Nguyen pointed to Edala's brain chart. "All I can say is in my timeline, you try that plan and by the time you figure out what's happening, we're sunk."

Dr. Kakua tentatively moved towards the forcefield with a hypospray loaded with an alpha wave stimulant in his right hand. "I have a feeling you know how this is going to go down. Should I arm you with a hypospray, too?"

Nguyen switched off the forcefield and turned to Dr. Kakua confidently. "If this plays out the way it did before, I got an idea. You, on the other hand, might want to step back after the injection. There's a 50/50 chance she'll break your restraints. Romulan strength is much stronger than the human equivalent, especially in her condition."

Dr. Kakua looked at Nguyen in initial shock before stepping through the threshold. He briefly scanned Edala's limp body to confirm the bio-readouts broadcasted to his office. Then, with Nguyen to his left, Dr. Kakua crossed himself with his hypospray clenched in his hand. Nguyen looked at him incredulously prompting a shrug from the young surgeon. "12 years at St. Joe's Catholic School, it's a force of habit."

Nguyen shrugged. "Didn't know that the first time around."

Dr. Kakua smirked dismissively as he aimed the hypospray towards the bend between Edala's neck and shoulder. "It's kind of a reverse Vulcan neck pinch," Dr. Kakua sheepishly joked to break the suspense. Before Nguyen could respond, Dr. Kakua lunged the nozzle onto Edala's neck and injected the alpha wave stimulant. A prolonged hiss filled the air as the hypospray depleted the canister inside.

With rapid speed, Kakua holstered his hypospray and activated his tricorder to start taking readings. Before the first telltales populated the screen, Edala's eyes flung open. Her entire body exploded in a massive thrust against the restraints on her arms and legs. Dr. Kakua's eyes widened as he saw the restraints buckle against the biobed. His tricorder began sounding choruses of alarms as Edala's piercing brown eyes fixated on him.

She snarled something in Romulan and thrashed against the restraints again. This time, her right arm broke free and she flailed the disconnected end of the restraint wildly above her head like a whip. More insults in Romulan filled the air as she focused her efforts on freeing her left arm.

In terror, Dr. Kakua reached for his hypospray and loaded a mild sedative. One small shot on the top of her free hand and he could take the edge off. Before he could approach Edala, however, Nguyen swooped in and blocked the surgeon from administering it. "Don't! I got this, get out of here and activate the force field." Nguyen took a defensive stance as Dr. Kakua reluctantly stepped out of the compartment and switched on the force field.

By the time the purple hue materialized, Edala's torso was free from her restraints. She was sitting upright trying to shatter the restraints that held her legs. During this time, Nguyen slowly made his way towards her. His right palm hovered above the deck as he slowly muttered something in Romulan. After the second time, Edala's eyes became fixed on Nguyen.

Emphasizing his success, Nguyen repeated the phrase in Romulan. Edala's hands let go of her feet restraints as she uttered a reply in Romulan. Nguyen gritted his teeth and nervously chose his next phrase. He drew himself closer as he rudimentarily constructed a response to Edala's statement.

Edala cocked her right eyebrow in confusion as Nguyen arrived at the side of the biobed. Nguyen raised his right forefinger and middle finger and held it a few inches in front of Edala's left hand. Coaxingly, Nguyen repeated the phrase and inched his fingers closer.

Edala relented. Her muscles relaxed as Nguyen's right hand approached her left. Dr. Kakua looked over to Edala's bio-medical readouts as Nguyen's fingers touched her own. Almost at the exact moment of contact, her deca-cortisol levels began to drop. Then, Nguyen shifted his palm and slowly moved his two fingers down Edala's left hand. This motion caused her neurotransmitter levels to stabilize.

After completing his pass around her hand, Nguyen stopped and waited for her to reciprocate. An eternity seemed to pass as Dr. Kakua looked at the digital displays. For a brief moment, there was a slight uptick in iso-cortisol and neurotransmitter levels as Edala incredulously looked at Nguyen. The cadet encouraged her to complete the gesture by nudging his hand and uttering a soothing phrase in Romulan.

Edala then gave a deep breath and ran her fore and middle fingers along Nguyen's right hand. By the end of the gesture, electrical activity in her cerebral cortex had abated. Levels were still high, compared to her relaxed state, but she was now calm enough to be interviewed and examined.

Nguyen smiled and nodded. He introduced himself in Federation lingua franca and asked for her name. She answered in kind. "Welcome aboard the Destiny, Edala. I'm glad you're doing better. You were in rough shape when we found you."

At this point, Dr. Kakua stepped through the force field and introduced himself. "You were unconscious when I found you in the cavern. I hope I didn't frighten you when I woke you up." Edala shook her head irritatedly resulting in the young surgeon breaking a smile. "I can't blame you, though. If I woke up in some dark cavern with a strange doctor standing over me with a hypospray, I'd throw a left hook, too... and probably make sure I still had my kidneys."

Edala took a heavy sigh. "Forgive me, Doctor. I was not expecting to find myself there. My mind and memory are a blur at the moment."

Dr. Kakua nodded understandingly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Before Edala could respond, Nguyen interjected. "Doc, I think you should continue those scans. We can talk about her memory later." The tempest of despair brewing right behind Edala's eyes suggested to Dr. Kakua that Nguyen was right. "I'll continue my tests. Mr. Nguyen, could I have a word with you?" He turned back to Edala and gestured to the replicator on the far side of the compartment. "If you're hungry or thirsty, that replicator can get you anything you need. If you ask it nicely, I think it'll even produce Romulan ale."

Edala replied with a thin smile. "That's right, the Federation just lifted the embargo."

Dr. Kakua responded with the same kind of smile. "Although, when I'm feeling under the weather I've found that ginger soup and rice always does the trick. It's under preset 2 on the menu."

Edala nodded and the two Starfleet personnel exited the compartment. With the force field back on and the auditory dampener engaged, Kakua turned to Nguyen. "What kind of sorcery did you just pull off?"

Nguyen grinned and proudly folded his arms. "Who are the Romulans' closest evolutionary relatives?" Dr. Kakua turned to the biomedical readouts before answering. "Vulcans."

Nguyen continued his questioning with the self-confidence of a university lecturer. "And what phenomenon happens every seventh year of an adult Vulcan's lifespan which causes their mathematically perfect physiology to go insane?" Dr. Kakua froze in his tracks before turning around to Nguyen. "Their pon farr, the time of mating." Nguyen smiled and nodded.

Dr. Kakua turned to Edala and focused on her uncoupling the restraints from her ankles. "Romulans experience the pon farr?" Nguyen retorted. "Why wouldn't they? Most of their genome is Vulcan so it checks out. What makes Romulan pon farr more intense than the Vulcan variety is the presence of Reman genetics."

Dr. Kakua's eyes grew wider as he turned to the displays. "So the radiation sent her back to the time of her pon farr."

Nguyen sat down and confidently folded his hands behind his head. "What makes you think she went backwards, Doc?" This time, Dr. Kakua responded with exaggerated confidence. "Because of what she said about Romulan Ale. I dangled that question to see how she'd respond. We lifted the ban a little over 20 years ago. She said we just lifted it. And I don't see us outlawing that beverage anytime soon."

Nguyen nodded proudly. "Bravo, Doc. You solved the riddle. We're in uncharted territory now."

Dr. Kakua triumphantly grinned as he ordered the computer to download Edala's medical data onto a padd. "We know that the radiation isn't toxic to Romulans, that's a good start. The fact that the radiation caused Edala to regress over twenty years is troublesome but hopefully not a dealbreaker. But at the end of the day, that's not our call to make."

Nguyen shook his head. "Nope, Doc. In this case, the call comes from the bridge."

A chord of synthetic beeps sounded from Dr. Kakua's desk indicating that Edala's medical records had been transferred to the padd. With the padd in hand, Dr. Kakua gestured for Nguyen to join him on his journey to Captain Ukweli. "If we play our cards right, Kenny, there's still a chance we won't get blown out of the stars."

Captain Ukweli's Ready Room

"Stand down, Ensign!" Ukweli's voice sharply chided Starfleet's oldest junior officer.

Picard irritatedly defended his position by pointing to an illuminated map on her desk. "All I am asking is why didn't Starfleet Command assign one or two more starships to assist us in this mission." He pointed to the blue dot symbolizing the Destiny before sweeping his finger around a cluster of green dots. "It's one Federation starship against twenty-four Romulan Warbirds. The engagement couldn't be more unbalanced."

To finish his argument, Picard picked up a padd which listed the Destiny's armaments. "It would be one thing if this vessel were heavily armed but its arsenal is lighter than even the Reliant's. We have 36 torpedoes, the Reliant has 80."

Ukweli wearily pointed out the most crucial detail from the entire mission. "We're in the middle of the neutral zone and the nearest Starfleet vessel is about five sectors away. Therefore, the benchmark for a successful mission is diplomacy, not the size of our arsenal. Also, we're not the only Federation starship tending to these Romulan detachments."

Picard fixated his eyes on Ukweli as he angrily jabbed his finger on the digital map. "We are dealing with Romulans. Conquest is what they live for. Ever since the Khitomer Accords, they have been posturing themselves for attack. Rumors are that they're looking to attack a Klingon outpost at Narendra III."

Ukweli responded to Picard with equal resolve. "That may be true, but not these Romulans. These Romulans have been displaced from their homes due to a devastating natural disaster. We are providing humanitarian assistance."

Picard sighed in exhaustion. "Until this morning, my biggest concern was serving on a vessel whose predecessor was destroyed by one of humanity's most notorious despots. Now, I have to solve a diplomatic crisis which could plunge the entire quadrant into war."

Ukweli looked sympathetically at Picard for a few moments. She had forgotten that despite his elderly appearance, his mind was a novice space-farer. "Let's take a break for a moment and then we'll come back to this."

She made her way to her replicator and ordered a cup of shaah tea and Earl Grey. Picard perked up his ears when he heard the name of his favorite tea. As he gratefully accepted the porcelain saucer and cup from Ukweli, he asked how she knew his preference for tea.

"On this ship, we know a lot of things, Ensign." Ukweli sat and sipped her tea. "I know our situation is dire, but I feel we will overcome it." Picard smiled as he sipped the steaming black tea from his cup. "Solving impossible problems is one of Starfleet's guiding principles."

Ukweli nodded in agreement before taking a sip of her tea. "Is that why you joined Starfleet, Picard?" Picard nodded. "Discovering new worlds and facing life threatening challenges around every parsec is everything I could ever want from life. It was either Starfleet or the mundane drudgery of the family vineyard." He took another sip before asking Ukweli about her choice to join Starfleet.

"I was born in Xamar. Most people know the city as Mogadishu. But I grew up across the galaxy. My father was a diplomat, my mother was a scientist. They worked in tandem for the Federation Civilian Corps. When I was old enough to travel, they took me with them on their missions. One of my earliest memories was watching a geothermal reactor on Genton IX become operational. The planet was between the border of Federation Space and the Gorn Hegemony."

Ukweli softly stirred her tea as she smiled. "My father negotiated the reactor's placement and my mother built it. One day, I asked my parents why they would leave our nice house which had a perfect view of the Arabian Sea to backwater worlds which were plagued with suffering."

Picard nodded understandingly as Ukweli continued. "My father explained that many centuries ago, our ancestral city was bereft with problems. It was not always the jewel of modern Africa that it is today. My mother explained that many of the problems facing that city were resolved when humanity abandoned its tendency of conflict in favor of cooperation. My parents spent their life bringing that promise to the rest of the galaxy."

With her cup in hand, she turned to a faded Federation banner behind a shadow box. "When my parents were killed in an ambush during the Dominion War, I felt that Starfleet was the perfect way to continue their legacy. My father was a talented peacemaker but never had the power to properly defend himself when needed. My mother was a brilliant scientist but always seemed to get second-hand Starfleet technology."

Ukweli turned to the digital map and placed her empty cup and saucer next to it. "Their philosophies make me who I am, Picard. Diplomacy is my foundation for command. Empirical reason is the metric through which I make decisions. Although shooting is never my first choice, I'm never afraid to fire a few salvos, if absolutely necessary. If my parents had, they'd still be here."

Picard nodded thoughtfully as he drained his cup. "I'm sorry for my criticisms, Captain." He placed his cup next to Ukweli's and gestured to the map. "But we appear to be in an impossible situation. If we cannot solve this mystery concerning the planet's radiation in less than twelve hours, we will have to fire our salvos. And I'm afraid they won't be enough."

At that moment, the ready room door chimed and Dr. Kakua and Nguyen triumphantly marched in. "Good news, Captain," Dr. Kakua announced. Captain Ukweli cautiously cradled her chin in her hand as Kakua and Nguen gave their report. When they finished, she stroked her chin before speaking. "It is encouraging that the radiation may not be toxic to the Romulans. However, the notion that it disrupts their memories is almost as dangerous."

She shook her head. "We can't have them land until we can find a way to protect them from that radiation all together. That bellicose Romulan admiral wakes up one morning on that planet and…" She stopped herself as she saw Picard's uncomprehending expression in her peripheral vision. "...forgets his agreement with the Federation, the consequences would be catastrophic."

Dr. Kakua placed the padd next to Ukweli for effect. "Suppose, I could create some sort of inoculation for the radiation. If we isolate the radiation's harmful properties, we could immunize the whole convoy before they land."

Captain Ukweli shrugged. "If you feel you can do that in less than twelve hours, you have my full support, Doctor."

Before Dr. Kakua could respond, his combadge chirped to life. "Tereshkova to Kakua, please report to the planet's surface. We have a medical emergency. Five casualties. One fatality."


	13. Episode 2, Chapter 5: The Alchemy of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Kakua returns to the Hokulea 4 and discovers the many uses of the planet's radiation.

Chapter 5: The Alchemy of Time

The tropical wind blew through the blue and silver awnings of the Destiny's base camp. The warm, muggy wind was the only soothing force in the camp. A solemn mood hung closely to the rainforest floor as eight science specialists rested under the main tent. Three of them were clutching their chests in pain. One was reclined on their back with a respirator tied to her face. Medics then tended to the final specialist's right knee as they placed a brace around it. The miniaturized hinges and hydraulics served as a makeshift knee since all the original ligaments were destroyed.

Through it all, Lieutenant Commander Svetalana Tereshkova stood in front of three computer screens showing an endless barrage of data. The outer two conducted calculations on tissue samples recovered from the living radiation victims. The central display belonged to a portable supercomputer which had been conducting relentless analyses of the radiation samples as soon as she landed on the planet. Tereshkova intently inspected all three screens in a methodical march. With every pass, she hoped some clue would break the radiation's mystery wide open.

Only the nearby whoosh of a transporter beam diverted Tereshkova from her scientific sentry duties. When two columns of blue and white energy successfully conveyed Dr. Kakua and Cadet Nguyen from the Destiny's transporter room, Tereshkova rushed to meet them with a pouch full of equipment in her right hand. With medkit in hand, Kakua rapidly approached Tereshkova. "What's the emergency, Commander?"

Tereshkova gestured to the wounded. "Your nurses seem to have stabilized the wounded for now. I'm more interested in how you deduce our fatality's cause of death." She pulled out a portable geiger counter and slapped it to the surgeon's chest before leading him through a small gap in the thick vegetation. "Keep an eye on your levels, Doctor. Variations of the radiation that affected Picard, Nguyen and Edala are everywhere in the atmosphere. It manifests itself in the forms of heat and light."

She turned by a rocky hill and pointed to a glowing vein of blue obsidian. The glow was so pronounced it was almost blinding. The trio skirted the vent of radiation in the biggest arc possible, each step was cautiously placed as if one wrong step would have caused an explosion.

Once they were safe from the radiation vent, Tereshkova continued to lead the way. "Who did we lose?" Dr. Kakua asked while activating his tricorder. "Crewman Marsh," Tereshkova's voice was strangled with irritation. "How did it happen? Is there some connection to the radiation?"

"Yes, you could definitely say that." Tereshkova gestured to a mound of glowing blue rocks standing four meters before them. The remains of the fallen crewmember rested about two meters between the crew and the mound. At first, Kakua couldn't recognize them. The only thing that drew his eyes to Technician Marsh's final resting place was the silver and gold gleam of his combadge floating atop a swampy pool of faint white cytoplasm. The foliage around the pool was profoundly unkempt. The mounds of vegetation surrounding the fallen crewman were uncharacteristically larger than every other part of the forest floor.

"Good God!" Dr. Kakua involuntarily swore as he slowly brought himself closer to the congealed pool of water, carbon and primitive proteins. He uncoupled his tricorder probe and began scanning the fluid. "Any idea what happened?" Kakua asked as he made his third pass over the primordial remains of his fallen shipmate.

Tereshkova shook her head. "He had reported a high concentration of the radiation. Before I could answer him, his comlink went dead. The other wounded were twenty meters to the Southeast and were hit by the radiation's residual particles."

When the final data set materialized on his tricorder, Dr. Kakua gave a heavy sigh and turned off his scanning probe. "So much for the radiation not being toxic." Once on his feet, Kakua explained to Tereshkova and Nguyen that the radiation had caused every cell in Crewman Marsh's body to revert all the way to a primordial state.

"Even the cotton fibers that made up his uniform were broken down into dissociated molecules of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen." Kakua sighed before pointing back to the small lagoon of aqueous cells. "The only thing that remotely survived was his combadge but I guarantee you, the circuits are fused."

Kakua shook his head in disgust. "There must be two forms of radiation. The radiation in that cavern disrupted their nervous systems but kept their bodies reasonably intact. Up here, where the radiation is less, it caused all the cells in Marsh's body to go back almost four billion years in time."

Tereshkova empathetically nodded with Kakua and gestured for them to return to base camp. "I have a theory on that,"

Suddenly, a voice came out from the distance. It was a phrase in Wakai which the universal translator could not translate. In that instant, the trio was stopped by a rustling sound in the nearby thicket of rhododendron-like trees. Dr. Kakua reached for the phaser on his belt but Nguyen restrained him with a hand on his arm. "Don't." Dr. Kakua cautiously cocked an eyebrow at the young cadet before slowly holstering his phaser. The trio's eyes were transfixed on the rumbling bushes for a handful of minutes.

Finally, a webbed hand broke through the tangled branches revealing a young Wakai boy. The toddlering alien tumbled out of the bushes headfirst and somersaulted to the three Starfleet officers.

At this point, Nguyen stepped forward and greeted the child in the traditional Wakai manner. "Yao'rai." The young Wakai responded in kind and identified himself as Fit'l. Nguyen smiled with the tenderness of a father. "Good to meet you, Fit'l. We are visitors from a faraway land. We do not know your ways, but we would like to learn. You say you know what happened to our friend?"

Fit'l nodded vigorously, flinging the feathers on his head in every direction. Dr. Kakua noted that the vibrant red plumage indicated that he was native to this area. The young Wakai's perspective could greatly benefit the Destiny's race against time to find a cure for the radiation.

"Your friend approached a I'hau, a sacred meeting point of Na'kua. The gods use I'haus when they want to walk on land." Fit'l explained. Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova. "What was the status of these rocks before Marsh approached them?"

Tereshkova shrugged. "Possibly, I'd have to check the sensor logs again."

Nguyen invited Fit'l back to base camp and continued to talk to the young son of Hokulea 4. "So, what you're saying is we should never approach an I'hau."

The child feverishly shook his head. "You misunderstand. You can but you must show respect. Your friend no show respect and Na'kua took his manawa from him as punishment." An instant later, Nguyen's translator interpreted manawa as "lifetime."

On their way back, Dr. Kakua smiled nostalgically at the young extraterrestrial child. The stories he told reminded him of his upbringing on the Big Island of Hawaii about sacred places on the island where disrespectful visitors were strangled or drowned. Kakua had always been incredulous about the paranormal beliefs surrounding these spots but he always knew to respect them. Otherwise, he would either be strangled by a furious Polynesian spirit or cuffed on the side of his head by the bulky mass of his uncle's right hand. As far as Kakua was concerned, there were negligible differences between the two unpleasant fates.

When they returned to base camp, Kakua looked over the five victims of the residual radiation particles. As Kakua suspected, they were experiencing milder symptoms of the phenomenon that claimed Marsh's life. The specialists who clutched their chests had random clusters of cells in that region spontaneously collapse. The specialist on the respirator had several clusters of alveoli spontaneously vanish. The specialist with the brace would require complete reconstructive surgery on her right knee. "Don't worry, Saito," Kakua reassured her. "Your knee will be as good as new. You'll be hiking mountains without breaking a sweat when your next shore leave comes."

With his patients now stabilized, Kakua sat next to Tereshkova and looked over her data. As his eyes scanned the complex streams of data, he cocked one ear towards the young Wakai who was continuing to talk to the child of Hokulea 4.

Finally, when the young Wakai's explanations evolved into a steady torrent of questions concerning where the Destiny was from and how they arrived at his home, Dr. Kakua turned back to Tereshkova to hear her theory.

Tereshkova gestured to the supercomputer which was continuing to sprawl relentless strings of data. "There's not just one form of radiation on this planet. There are countless millions. Ordinarily, radiation has a telltale signature like an electromagnetic wavelength or particle configuration." Her finger traced the downpour of data streams. "This cosmic force can take one of an unthinkable amount of radiation signatures. The computer has been isolating them since we landed and we can't believe how many there are."

Dr. Kakua focused on the screen before asking how many. Tereshkova took a heavy sigh before speaking. "The computer has isolated 10^354 different types of signatures thus far. That's one with 354 zeros behind it."

The young surgeon sank back in his chair in disbelief at the ridiculous calculation. "Well, I'm glad I was sitting down."

Tereshkova flashed a caring smile before continuing her report. "So am I, doctor. The computer is preparing a wide spectrum scan right now but we hypothesize that there is a radiation signature for all known elements in the universe, their isotopes, and their quantum vibrations. They can even interconnect to form more complex signatures. So far, we are isolating signatures which interact with specific atoms but progress is painfully slow when you're dealing with so much data."

Tereshkova then explained that once these radiation signatures become defined they entangle themselves with specific subatomic particles in the host's body. Once entangled, the rotations of these billions of subatomic particles resulting in the medical issues Dr. Kakua detects.

Dr. Kakua bit his lip before nodding deeply. "It's a sound hypothesis. It accounts for how the radiation affected our landing party's bodies and minds." His voice trailed off as something from the corner of his eye grabbed his sight.

It was Ea, one of the Wakai's elders slowly making her way from the coastline to the I'hau where Crewman Marsh met his untimely end. She was carrying a bundle in her arms. At that moment, Kakua knew he had to follow her. "But it doesn't explain how the Wakai use it."

"I got an idea. Bring your tricorder." Dr. Kakua stealthily got up and mapped a path through the rainforest that trailed Ea without her discovering them. Tereshkova reluctantly jumped to her feet and asked what his idea was. With his path finally plotted, Dr. Kakua furtively hopped through the vines and bamboo chutes. As his boots sank into the spongy moss and mud, Dr. Kakua smiled and turned to Tereshkova who had slid through the slit he made in the vines. "It's just like old times, back when I went wild pig hunting with my Uncle Victor."

After he helped Tereshkova through the vines, Dr. Kakua continued to tiptoe through the thick tropical foliage. His eyes were focused on the elder Wakai who had finally arrived at the glowing rocks where Kakua recovered Marsh's remains.

Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova who brushed some sweat and mud from her face.

"What are you doing!?" The science officer's frustration was barely masked by her whisper.

Dr. Kakua flipped open his tricorder and aimed it towards the glowing rocks about ten meters away. He allowed himself a triumphant smile and soft cheer when he realized that the distant radiation spike fell into his tricorder's scanning range. With boundless care, Kakua placed the open tricorder on the damp leaves at his feet before turning to Tereshkova. He gestured that they use the thick trunk of a nearby tree as cover.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what the elder Wakai was carrying. In her left hand, she held a seedling with a slender but fragile stem supporting a half dozen leaves. Small buds clung to the stem and underside of the leaves. The elder Wakai's right hand was stained with the black pigment of a dying plant. At first glance, the plant appeared to be an older version of the young sapling. The stem was thicker. Larger versions of the younger plant's buds dangled under each leaf which caused the branches to bend. The bulbs were obviously fruit but were lightyears past their expiration date. Each orange and red tuber bore necrotic black scars which sliced through the vibrant fruit in random designs.

At this point, the two Starfleet officers were safely behind the tree. With Dr. Kakua pressing his back against the moist bark behind him, he turned to the Destiny's science officer. "Do you or anyone in your department have expertise in botany?"

Tereshkova slowly nodded.

Before Dr. Kakua could explain, a brilliant flash of light shot through the air accompanied with a melodious chant from the Wakai elder. It was a red glow which slowly morphed to yellow and later orange. The chant was a mantra. With every repetition, the flash returned with more vibrant colors. A flash of green pierced the vines and emerged as a blue glow. Instinctively, Dr. Kakua placed his hand to the side of his face to shield his eyes and turned his back towards the radiation to shield Tereshkova as much as possible.

By Ea's final repetition, a colossal explosion of light, sound, and wind filled the air. A violet cascade of light crackled the vines and leaves around Kakua and Tereshkova. Then, there was silence.

Kakua was the first to move. With boundless caution, he slowly turned from Tereshkova towards the tricorder which was continuing to transmit its telltale lights and beeps. Instantly, he turned back to Tereshkova. "Is it safe to get my tricorder back?" Tereshkova scoffed as she unsheathed her own scanner and ran a diagnostic of the riparian area surrounding them before nodding her head.

Excitedly, Dr. Kakua jumped to the tricorder and saved the data inside before handing it back to Tereshkova. He gave instructions for her to examine the cellular structure from each plant and compare the quantum temporal signatures. As Tereshkova looked at him incredulously, the surgeon excitedly explained. "The entanglement process and how that happens."

Tereshkova nodded agitatedly before whispering, "That's great, Doctor, but what are you going to do?"

Before Dr. Kakua could answer, a voice came from the I'hau. "I am ready for your questions, Doctor Kakua."

Dr. Kakua exhaustively lowered his limbs as he turned towards the beacon of light and stones. "Ea just gave you my answer," He muttered as he narrowed his gaze towards the two fruits. His eyes widened in amazement as he saw that the former sapling and deadwood plants were now precisely identical. Each plant sported sturdy stems and flowering leaves along with a dozen bulbous red blossoms.

Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova with eager excitement. "I think we might have cracked this mystery. Please get working on that data, I'll be back within the hour."

Before Tereshkova could respond, Dr. Kakua leapt through the tangle of vines and leaves on his way towards the Wakai elder. As his boots dug into the soft grass beneath him, Kakua slowly bowed while maintaining his gaze on the elder Wakai's eyes. It was an old gesture of respect he had learned back home with his Japanese neighbors who ran a replicator repair service.

When his shoulders returned upright, Dr. Kakua addressed the planet's matriarch with their customary greeting. The elder arctic Wakai smiled. "You are a long way from home, Joseph, but the Watanabe family would be proud. I am honored by your respectful gesture."

Dr. Kakua smiled crookedly to shield his surprise before finally stammering the words, "How did you know that? I haven't seen the Watanabe family since I left for the Academy. That was fifteen years ago."

Ea smiled. "You just told me now and the Na'kua revealed it to me centuries ago."

She gestured for the young surgeon to accompany her back to the shoreline with the two resurrected sprightly plants cupped in her webbed hands.

As they made their way to the shoreline, Dr. Kakua maintained a respectful three steps behind her. "You're saying that the Na'kua, your gods, prophesied that I would greet you in the same way I greeted the Japanese neighbors from my childhood several centuries ago?"

Ea chuckled. "It's not a prophecy, Joseph. From my perspective, the event happened twice." As she struggled to clear a down tree log, Dr. Kakua rushed to her side and helped her scale it. After a soft sigh, she continued her stroll and explanation. "When I was chosen as the 'upuna for my people, I saw every day of the rest of my life in perfect clarity. Judiciously applying that knowledge has helped us overcome many hardships."

As her feet struck the sand on the beach, she turned to Dr. Kakua with her golden eyes. "Now, you have completed the circle. The foresight that was given to me three hundred of your earth years ago has been completed. That's good news for me because I am still favored by the Na'kua to lead my people."

Dr. Kakua raised an eyebrow as they continued to walk towards the cave where Picard, Edala and Nguyen experienced their transformation. "So, you're saying if I didn't greet you in that way, you would have lost the will of our gods?"

Ea smiled and slowly shook her head with a chuckle. "No, they are more forgiving than that. It would simply be a bad omen. It simply means I need to meditate and put my vision back into focus. Forgetting a detail like how a human prefers to show respect is forgivable. If I forgot the details of an impending drought or plague, then it would be time to choose a new 'upuna."

When she finally arrived at the mouth of the cave, she sat down and placed the plants in a woven basket. "The Na'kua have given us a great gift. Seeing beyond time's horizon has allowed us to avoid much suffering in our world." She turned to Dr. Kakua. "I can see your culture does not share the same values. Your people are struggling with the Na'kua's gift."

Dr. Kakua sheepishly shook his head. "We appreciate the gift. We just don't understand it. Our youngest crewmember has the mind of an elder and our elder has the mind of a child."

Ea smiled and nodded slowly. "That is the way of time in our world, Doctor. Time is a force of nature just like the tides in the seas and the fires on the land. It can be harnessed and divided, but it must be conserved just like our young women and men when we choose our leaders."

She pointed to the two revived plants in the basket. "When I took these plants to the I'hau one was a young seedling and the other was rotten with age. Through my control of the nahi, the fire of the gods which you call 'radiation,' we shared the time of both plants. Youth was restored to the old and the seedling bore fruit."

She picked up one of the vibrant fruits with her hands. "These ahi fruits help feed the arctic villages during the winter. When we do not have enough, we perform the ritual to bring our crops back into balance. Time was not created nor destroyed. It just changed form."

Kakua examined the fruit from a distance before Ea handed it to him. The formerly rotten orange bulb was now a vibrantly juicy red blossom. "You are performing alchemy with time." Kakua declared. Then he explained the ancient pseudoscientific practice back on Earth of turning abundant but worthless materials like lead into precious and valuable luxuries like gold.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Dr. Kakua. "We don't just perform this 'alchemy' as you call it on our plants. We perform it on the remains of our hunted kills so we will have enough meat for the next season. We even apply it to our fellow Wakai and off-worlders like your fellow travelers, too." It was Kali'o, the male elder.

In that moment, Kali'o elaborated that Picard, Edala, and Nguyen participated in the same ceremony in which the elders for the planet are chosen. When an elder either dies or loses favor of the Na'kua, the youth of the planet journey down to the aina'kua. The male will be charged with communing directly with the gods and maintaining the nahi from their realm. The female is charged with taking care of the living and ensuring their well-being. Only one man and one woman will be given the foresight. The rest will sacrifice part of their memories for the gift of foresight to take form.

Kali'o pointed to the cave. "When I became 'ahuna for my people one of your centuries ago, I was told that we would be visited by beings from many other worlds. I was ordered to introduce them to Na'kua. The visitors' survival would depend on how they handled the foresight the Na'kua gave them. If they could complete the ritual, their survival was ensured."

Dr. Kakua rose to his feet to meet Kali'o in the eyes. "Our survival? What about yours?! There are people up there capable of destroying this entire way of life if we fail in our mission."

Kali'o nodded solemnly. "The Na'kua will protect us. They always have. Your acquaintances in the sky believe they can take this planet with enough force. If any Romulan steps foot on this planet with hate in their hearts, their fate will be the same as your fallen crewman: the one called Marsh."

Dr. Kakua tightened his jaw as he heard the news. "Suppose they would try to harm you from the skies. They have weapons that can destroy entire continents with a single use."

Kali'o shook his head. "The Na'kua will change their forms. A blazing fire can be reduced to sparks. A mighty tide can be stemmed to a trickle. Their weapons can be transformed, reflected, or neutralized. Whatever the Na'kua decide."

An expression of sheer horror overcame Dr. Kakua's face before his combadge chirped the words. "Tereshkova to Dr. Kakua," When he responded, Tereshkova replied. "Please return to the Destiny, I have that biometric data you requested."

Dr. Kakua acknowledged the request and turned to the two elders. Harkening back to his childhood, the young surgeon bowed to the two Wakai elders and paraphrased a traditional Hawaiian farewell. "Until we meet again,"

Ea responded with a similar bow and replied. "It will be sooner than you think."


	14. Episode 2, Chapter 6: Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the crew of the Destiny hope to uncover a cure by reliving events of Picard, Nguyen and Edala's lives that defined them.

Chapter 6: Revelations

In a tidal woosh of blue and white energy, Dr. Joseph Kakua was instantly transported from the shoreline of Hokulea 4 to the gleaming steel chamber of Transporter Room 3. At first, the process could not be more routine. Every transporter operator had their own technique which made each teleportation process subtly different from each other.

Judging by the rapid process by which the tropical island dissolved from his line of sight and was replaced by the sterile shine of transporter room 4, Dr. Kakua expected Chief Transporter's Mate Elizabeth Green to be manning the controls. She always prided herself on her efficiency with matter/energy conversions. Plus, time was definitely a factor.

However, as Dr. Kakua began his descent from the transporter platform, he was surprised that the controls were manipulated by none other than Lieutenant Commander Svetlana Tereshkova. The scowling expression on her face radiated that she was less than pleased to see him. "Welcome aboard, Doctor. I am glad you made it up in one piece instead of a gelatinous pool like Crewman Marsh."

She opened the door and gestured for them to walk to his sickbay.

Dr. Kakua took a heavy sigh before speaking. "Is this about how we got the tricorder readings?"

Tereshkova nodded with a curt sound which distantly resembled the word, "Da." She led the way through the open passageway towards sickbay. "Did it ever occur to you, Chief Medical Officer Kakua, that following an alien to a radiation hot spot could be hazardous to one's health?" She opened the door to sickbay and the two filed in.

Dr. Kakua shrugged as he stepped through the hatchway. "I agree it's an unorthodox method but…" Tereshkova interrupted. "Unorthodox, irrational, and reckless." Dr. Kakua nodded in earnest and raised his hand diplomatically before continuing. "But, we're about four hours away from being shot out of the sky so I needed to cut corners with a calculated risk."

"Which could have gotten yourself and me killed." Tereshkova replied. "It is illogical to potentially sacrifice the lives of the ship's surgeon and science officer during a high-stakes medical crisis."

Dr. Kakua looked at Tereshkova with a matter of fact expression. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember having to resuscitate you on the transporter room floor last week because you decided to have the Destiny enter the turbulent Romulan atmosphere to extract you from an impending supernova. One could call a maneuver like that unorthodox, irrational and reckless, too."

"I was performing a variant of an emergency atmospheric beam-out procedure." Tereshkova's matter of fact tone barely suppressed the defensiveness in her voice. "I had done it millions of times before in simulations and I had modified some protocols based on the fact that we were facing a galaxy destroying supernova head-on. I knew the variables I was given and I judiciously made adjustments when they did not match up with regulations. That's more than I could say of your performance on the planet."

Kakua gave a heavy sigh. "You're right. It was reckless. I honestly felt that a little risk is justified, especially with a squadron of Romulans threatening to blow us out of the stars if we don't find a cure for this radiation."

Tereshkova placed her hands on a padd from Dr. Kakua's desk and lowered her head to collect herself. "Well, I wouldn't have made that call. In my experience, you don't take risks unless you exhaustively calculate all the outcomes."

Dr. Kakua shrugged. "I saw an opportunity with the Wakai elder and I took it. Her insights on this 'time alchemy' of theirs should give us some much needed data. But I'll keep your perspective in mind on future away missions." With her last nerve exhausted, Tereshkova limply handed Kakua the padd with her biometric findings. Before he examined the data, Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova one last time. "By the way, I'm sorry for my 'irrational human behavior.' I had no idea you were raised by Vulcans."

Tereshkova gave a soft sigh before turning to Dr. Kakua. "I've spent a lot of time with Vulcans in my life, Doctor. My parents were human Federation scientists who collaborated with the Vulcan Science Academy. They were experimental physicists who conducted experiments on the most exotic components of the galaxy. One of my earliest memories was my fifth birthday and my parents ignited a dark matter nebula to substitute for a birthday cake. I spent most of my teenage years on an observation station in close orbit around quasars."

Dr. Kakua gaped his jaw in amazement. "Hovering around a galactic furnace sounds like a hell of a way to grow up. I don't want to criticize your parents' judgement but taking one's kid to one of the most destructive features of the universe sounds a little unorthodox and reckless to me."

Tereshkova nodded noncommittally. "Point taken, but in my defense, I wanted to go along. And I was disciplined enough to handle myself and contribute. That's what you need when you're dealing with strange new forces in the universe. You must minimize risk. "

Dr. Kakua raised his hands diplomatically before speaking. "I see your point and I'm sorry. Next time we come across a quasar or -heaven forbid- another galaxy-destroying supernova, I will defer to your disciplined methodology. I'm sorry I freaked you out. Now let's talk about that ill-gotten data. Was any of it useful?"

Tereshkova smirked wrly as she picked up a padd and showed it to Dr. Kakua. "Whatever 'time alchemy' the elder did, it changed the cosmic forces into two distinct radiation signatures, both undiscovered thus far. The proper presence of these signatures somehow led to an equalization of the quantum states between the two plants."

Dr. Kakua looked over her shoulder to read the data. "You mean it caused both plants to change their compositions until they appeared the same age?"

Tereshkova looked over at Dr. Kakua. "Yes, Doctor, that's what I said."

Dr. Kakua nodded and gestured for her to continue. "As I suspected, these radioactive signatures do interconnect to create more complex forms of cosmic radiation. This particular combination of signatures interacts with the elements of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen."

Dr. Kakua smiled as he picked up the padd to admire the reflected data. "The same elements that make up Acetylcholine, the chemical in the brain responsible for memory."

Tereshkova smiled thinly before taking the padd back from Kakua. "The good news is your ill-gotten data has pushed us exponentially further than where we would be if we only let the supercomputer finish its calculations."

"That's good. I'm glad our death-defying feat was useful." Dr. Kakua's voice boomed with enthusiasm.

While Dr. Kakua celebrated, Tereshkova gave a sobering frown as she clattered the padd against her palm. "The bad news is there are still 15 septillion permutations which could be the cure and at least half of them could easily kill human life." She turned to the quarantine compartment where Edala was resting on her biobed behind the soundproof force field. "And we don't even know if this signature will help the Romulans because their genome has higher concentrations of copper."

Dr. Kakua nodded sympathetically to Tereshkova's frustrations. "I know that's a tall number but we'll figure it out. After all, we went from over 1 centillion configurations to one configuration with 15 septillion permutations. I'd call that progress."

Tereshkova agitatedly dropped the padd onto Dr. Kakua's desk. "It's the number 15 with 24 zeroes behind it. It would take us months to properly isolate the right signature permutation and we only have hours."

Dr. Kakua stared at the back side of the scuttled padd for a few seconds before speaking. "Well," He tried to give his optimistic spin. "We lost over 300 zeros in the last two hours. You can't beat that."

He turned to Edala and then glanced at the brain scans which the biomedical nanoprobes collected from the away mission. "I have an idea." He turned to Tereshkova and raised his hands defensively. "Don't worry. This one is perfectly safe and there's no risk of any injury whatsoever." He reached for a set of neural stimulant probes and placed them in his medkit.

He slapped his combadge. "Cadet Nguyen and Ambassador Picard, please report to Holodeck 2."

A series of dull hums and sharp hisses filled the holodeck's gleaming silver chamber. The very center of the cavernous room was being modified with Dr. Kakua handing a series of engineering equipment to Chief Engineer Miguel Sanchez. Sanchez was crouched beneath a makeshift biobed while attaching bundles of cables from strategic spots of the padded plank to the central holographic generator concealed beneath the polished deck plates beneath his knees.

"Let me get this straight, Doc: if this machine works, it will be able to convert the electrochemical messages in your brain into a fully realized holographic world?" The engineer strung a heavy bundle of cables down the biobed's central pedestal and fused them in place with a soldering gun.

Dr. Kakua nodded. "I got the idea from a journal co-authored by Starfleet Medical and the Daystrom Institute, the specialized neural simulant probes will convert the stored chemical messages associated with memory into specific electrical patterns which the holographic projector can understand. A psychiatric colleague of mine was considering using the machine to help trauma patients."

Sanchez attached a small device to the top of the pedestal, plugged it into the bundle of cables and switched it on. "If this works, I might have to use it myself. I can't tell you how much I'd love to hear another round of stories from my abuelo about serving on the drydock crew which decommissioned the U.S.S. Excelsior. His stories about Captain Sulu supervising the dismantling of his ship are what honestly got me interested in my current line of work." A soft whining sound filled the air as every cable, light, and processor started to fire electrical charges in unison.

"That'll do it," Sanchez said as he gave the makeshift contraption an affectionate pat. "The Soñador/Dream Weaver 2400, Mark I. It's the best we can do under the circumstances. If it works, the Mark II will be much prettier to look at."

Dr. Kakua thanked Sanchez with a strong handshake before turning to the small delegation of Starfleet personnel making their way through the main hatchway behind him. Tereshkova and Ukweli led the way. The Captain nodded thoughtfully as Tereshkova briskly brought her up to speed on everything they had done since their first encounter.

Several steps behind Ukweli and Tereshkova was Picard who entered the spacious holodeck cubicle with wide-eyed wonder. A torrent of amazed platitudes in French trickled from his quivering lips.

Bringing up the rear of the personnel parade was Edala who used Nguyen's right arm partially to guide her through the labyrinth of corridors and for emotional security.

By the time, Ukweli and Tereshkova met Dr. Kakua, the Destiny's science officer brought her Captain up to the point where she and the doctor had isolated the possible radiation signature with 15 septillion permutations that could create a cure.

Flawlessly on cue, Dr. Kakua stepped in to finish the briefing. "And that's where we find ourselves now. With the help of Commander Sanchez's brilliant ingenuity, I have installed a device in this holodeck which will render stored memories in the brain into vivid holographic recreations. We will scan and therefore relive the last memories of each crewmember before they were brought here."

Dr. Kakua's eyes darted to make sure Picard was out of earshot before pointing to the padd in Tereshkova's hand which stored all the brain scans from the first excursion to the planet. "The Commander originally pointed out that instruments only detect what they're designed to measure. Now that we have about 15 septillion new pieces of data, the Commander will compare the original brain scans to the new ones we will replicate. If there are any differences in the subatomic structure or rotation between the two brain scans, we can isolate the specific signatures responsible for causing them."

Tereshkova picked up her two padds before interjecting. "Then we can either find a way to dis-entangle the particles or surgically extract them and replace them with identical ones derived from stem cells."

Ukweli nodded slowly before asking. "What about that radiation spike that killed Crewman Marsh?" Tereshkova smiled. "I took the liberty of isolating that signature while the Good Doctor was making contact with the elders. What's the expression you use in Hawaii, Doctor?"

Dr. Kakua smiled politely at Tereshkova's question. "We were talking story, ma'am."

Tereshkova pulled out a padd from her back pocket and showed Captain Ukweli and Dr. Kakua the isolated signature configuration. "That particular signature best resembles a tachyon burst. For some reason, the scanning configuration on Marsh's tricorder caused the radiation revert to that signature which caused all his cells to revert to a primordial state."

"Or, one could say that Marsh offended the Na'kua and they punished him for it." Dr. Kakua shrugged. A disappointed frown overcame Tereshkova's face as she slid the padd back into her pocket.

Dr. Kakua turned to Nguyen. "Kenny, my friend, how was your chat with that young Wakai?"

Nguyen smiled. "I'm glad you summoned me when you did. I told him everything I could without violating the Prime Directive and he was still pushing. I told him I had to go home for dinner and even then he wanted to come along."

Captain Ukweli smiled. "Well, Cadet, if things go well with this mission in a few years he just might be able to apply to Starfleet Academy like you did."

At this point, Dr. Kakua walked up to Picard who was busying himself admiring the pristine gleam from the silver plates along the wall. "You Section 31 people always get the best stuff. The Holodeck at Starbase Earhart -and even the one at Starfleet Academy- aren't nearly as nice. They were just honeycombs of black and yellow."

Dr. Kakua gestured for Picard towards the biobed and explained the procedure to him.

Picard frowned. "How does this help our covert mission?"

Kakua shot a glance at Ukweli. Her resolute expression signaled to him that the "covert mission" charade was still on.

After a quick mental consultation of old spy novels from his youth, Dr. Kakua concocted his response. "Because we have reason to believe you were under surveillance of a hostile operative before you joined this mission. The operative might be working for one of several possible intelligence agencies, including the Tal Shiar. We just need to inspect the memory to be sure."

Picard slowly nodded and gave his consent for Kakua to apply the neural stimulators to his temples.

With Picard securely strapped to the biobed, Kakua turned to Tereshkova who activated her tricorder. "Quick thinking, Doctor." She complimented the surgeon as Picard's baseline brain scan occupied the first half of her tricorder.

"Looks like reading all those Ian Flemming novels as a kid paid off." Kakua admitted as he turned to Nguyen in an unspoken command to hold Edala close for emotional support. As a series of beeps and chirps circulated through the biobed, Sanchez stood by Tereshkova with an eagerness to see his newest invention come to life.

As Ukweli nodded her silent consent, the once vibrant Holodeck was plunged into darkness. As the holographic projector synchronized itself with the new biobed, bursts of light and sound exploded from random corners of the cavernous chamber.

A flash of neon light was accompanied by a bellowing cry. A small stream of crimson blood spurted across the room from a disembodied host as synthetic chiming filled the air. A small white platform with small raised lights materialized next to Picard's biobed accompanied with a soft chuckle. Then, with a flash everything came into focus.

The Destiny's crew was standing in the middle of a lounge on a starbase. Utter pandemonium had exploded near the dom-jot table. Two young Starfleet officers clad in their double breasted maroon uniforms stood back to back as a horde of furious Nausicaans surrounded them. Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova who had expertly tuned out the chaos around her and focused on comparing her current tricorder readings with the original brain scans.

In a split second, the maroon mass of another Starfleet officer passed through the intent science officer like a ghost. It was a man in his mid-twenties. Thick locks of flowing brown hair brushed the white turtleneck indicating his command status. With the outer flap of his uniform spilled open, the frantic young Ensign rapidly spun around to confront the Nausicans who flanked him.

As a Nausicaan crept behind the young Ensign with his gleaming dagger exposed, Tereshkova excitedly raised her voice. "Computer, freeze program."

The knife punctured the young Ensign's torso with the scarlet stained blade breaching his left pectoral. The crumbling copy of Ensign Jean-Luc Picard bent its knees and was suddenly suspended by the computer's holographic projectors.

After a few seconds of looking over the two scans, Tereshkova confidently nodded. "We have some viable anomalies. Picard is set. We're ready for the next patient."

Captain Ukweli reset the Holodeck to its gleaming default setting as Dr. Kakua hoisted the shaky Picard from the biobed and steadied him until he found his balance.

Edala's cheeks burned as she felt the collective eyes of everyone in the Holodeck. As Nguyen coaxed her towards the biobed, she dug in her heels into the polished floor. "What are you doing?! Don't do this!"

Nguyen placed a calm hand over hers. "It's okay, Edala. This treatment will let us help you."

"I don't need any help! You Federation butchers are going to destroy my brain." Edala shrieked. With two piercing thrusts, she broke her arm free from Nguyen's elbow and slowly backed herself towards the holodeck door with her eyes trained on the Starfleet officers before her.

As Nguyen led the charge to calm her down, Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova and whispered something. After the Science Officer tentatively nodded, Dr. Kakua jumped in front of Nguyen with his right hand stretched out to steady the frightened young Romulan. "Edala, we need to run this test so we can treat you. You have suffered a traumatic brain injury that requires our immediate attention."

Edala's eyes widened as she gave an accusatory scoff. "If it's so traumatic, why didn't you tell me this before?! No! You know that my father is a Senator and you want to get Imperial Secrets from me! But I won't do it. I am a loyal subject of the Romulan Star Empire."

Dr. Kakua gave a weary sigh. Instead of fabricating a slick explanation to her rhetorical question, he promptly asked. "What do you think the stardate is?"

A confused frown softened Edala's high cheekbones. "Stardate? It's 56839.7."

Tereshkova notched the stardate for reference on her tricorder as Dr. Kakua kindly shook his head. He checked over his shoulder to make sure Picard was out of earshot and spoke softly so that only Edala could hear him. "No, no it's not. It's stardate 75003.8. You've lost about twenty earth years worth of memories and we need to figure out how that happened."

Edala froze in shock as Nguyen stepped in front of Dr. Kakua and tenderly explained in the same soft voice. "You are a member of this crew, Edala. Your father is the Praetor of your Empire and he's on Earth right now negotiating an alliance between our two governments."

Edala's eyes narrowed as her left forefinger stabbed the air surrounding Nguyen. "Federation lies! What do you know of my father?"

Nguyen shot a glance at Ukweli and Tereshkova before dropping his defensive stance. "I know he calls you zahra, that's the indigenous name for the Romulan Fire Blossom. I know you cook him his favorite dish of spiced surtan, a Romulan sea crustacean on his birthday. I know he taught you how to play the Romulan lyre and your favorite song to play is 'strast hdif,' a ballad of two Romulan lovers separated by a vast sea."

Edala's piercing scowl became softer as she heard this news. She lowered her left finger in surprise as she slowed her backward retreat from the Holodeck. Despite this restraint, Nguyen kept his distance but continued to speak in a calming tone. "I know that you have dreams of leading your people someday as a Senator. Finally, I know that the memory we need to examine is extremely difficult for you to relive. It left you and your family scarred for many years."

Edala's muscles tightened as her jaw quivered sorrowfully. At this moment, Nguyen stepped towards her. "But believe me when I tell you, we need to know. Uncovering this memory is the only way to help you." Nguyen reached out his hand towards Edala. "And, if you want, I can help you through it."

Edala spent a handful of seconds mulling over her options before tentatively reaching her hand out to take Nguyen's. The young romulan and cadet continued holding hands as Edala reclined on the biobed. Dr. Kakua gently attached the neural stimulant probes to Edala's temples and delicately applied the sedative to her neck. As she continued to clutch Nguyen's hand, Edala nodded for Dr. Kakua to commence the procedure.

Dr. Kakua shot a fleeting glance at Ukweli and Tereshkova and then activated the memory reconstruction process.

A barrage of blinding light struck the holodeck. Staccatos of cheers and disjointed chants dischortantly reverberated through the vaulted ceiling as a thick wave of bleached desert sand swept across the Holodeck floor. Fleeting bursts of green light materialized all around the observers, disappeared for a moment, and then stained the tan floor beneath them.

Piercing beams of blinding light popped like gunshots around Edala's reclining body. As the holographic emitters focused, long silver blades took shape as they sliced the air. Then athletic forearms joined them. A mighty clash sent one blade tumbling backwards into obscurity. Finally, the Destiny crew witnessed Edala standing in the middle of a vast arena reminiscent of the ancient colosseum. A soft, dry wind ruffled the olive green combat tunic she was wearing as light green blood dripped from the blade of the sword she brandished in her right hand.

The young gladiator was orbited by an entire universe of Romulan citizens in the stands. With every step she took, their cheers crescendoed. Despite the deafening noise from thousands of people, Edala's eyes narrowed on a solitary soul. Her adversary, a fellow young Romulan woman, was now weaponless. Knocked on her back, Edala's opponent had slithered along the dusty floor until her back defeatedly struck the arena wall.

As Edala raised her sword for the finishing blow, the entire thunderous amphitheater became silent. On cue, Edala turned her eyes to the Praetorian Throne which was indicated by numerous ostentatious banners. Whether Edala's opponent would live or die would depend on how the Praetor ruled.

The Praetor was a thin and elderly man. Ukweli noticed that Edala's father, Hei'sha, was seated several rows across in the Junior Senator's section of the grandstands. The Praetor's flowing blue and black robes fluttered in the breeze as he stretched out his right hand. With his palm stretched to the skies, the Praetor swept his hand backwards. The gesture triggered a burst of chaotic cheering before the Praetor silenced them with a sweeping arc of his left hand.

"Al'laft, daughter of Ama'i," The Praetor's bellowing voice echoed. "Your loss at the hands of Edala proves you have neither the cunning nor the loyalty to serve this Empire as a full citizen." The Praetor turned his eyes to the crowd. "Much like our Vulcan brothers, our Romulan blood burns every seventh year of our adult lives. The first time that blood burns, we test the strength, cunning, and loyalty of our youth with this tournament. Citizenship in the Empire is a privilege and our tournament rewards that privilege only to the worthiest of Romulan youth. By virtue of our steel, we cut the weak from our society."

His eyes narrowed on the cowering young woman beneath Edala's blade. "But sometimes the weak can be useful. Therefore, your life will be spared." The Praetor picked up a padd and briefly scanned the list of names it displayed. "You will be mated with An'id, the disgraced male Romulan from yesterday's tournament and you will both live out your life on the Flaxia Citadel, as slaves."

Two muscular guards wearing traditional Vulcan pon farr armor stepped in and clasped restraints to Edala's defeated adversary before hauling her off of the arena.

Cheers filled the air as Edala sheathed her blade and turned to the Praetorian throne.

A hush overcame the crowd as the Praetor theatrically outstretched both of his hands. "Edala, daughter of Hei'sha, you have finished but one trial in your journey to Imperial Citizenship. Therefore, you will fight another before you are joined in the bonds of citizenship and matrimony."

Edala bowed her head. "I am prepared."

A smile which Dr. Kakua interpreted as a sneer overcame the Praetor's face. He turned to the stands and to his advisors before speaking. "Bring out the next challenger."

A chorus of shouts reverberated through the air as the gates behind Edala opened. The shadow of a smaller, more slight opponent stretched out from the darkened passage. At first, Edala smiled confidently as she turned towards the gate with her hand on her sword's hilt. But as the opponent came into view, she faltered. A shocked hush rocked the crowd as Edala slid her blade back into its scabbard.

The Praetor narrowed his eyes towards the section in the grandstands which housed the Empire's Junior Senators. "Edala, daughter of Hei'sha, for the privilege of citizenship in the Empire -and the preservation of your family's privileged class- you will face Ali'am, daughter of Hei'sha!"

Palpable confusion pulsed through the crowd as a younger Hei'sha stepped up from the stands to directly address the Praetor. "Praetor, I object." Hei'sha's voice boomed with equal parts disgust and desperation. "The laws which govern the tournament..." The Praetor interrupted. "Those laws are at the discretion of the Imperial Praetor who wields the tournament as a means to strengthen the Empire."

The Romulan ruler condescendingly turned to Hei'sha from across the stands. "And speaking of strengthening the Empire, I feel your self-restraint has gotten soft. Speak out of turn again and you, Senator, will join the first heat of tomorrow's male tournament."

Hei'sha timidly nodded and obsequiously returned to his seat.

The Praetor then turned to the two sisters in the field. "Edala, Ali'am, you will either fight for the right of citizenship or your entire family will suffer the consequences of sedition to the Empire."

Edala's piercing eyes softened as she turned from the Praetor's high throne to her sister across the arena. She placed her left hand on the buckle that fastened her sword to her waist. Her softening expression hinted that she was going to unarm herself. Ali'am did likewise.

As the holographic projection continued, Sanchez turned to Dr. Kakua with baited attention. "They might ditch the sword and fight barehanded. That way they could just knock the other out without killing each other."

The holographic Edala stared at her sister whose hands hovered over the fastener to her sword and scabbard. Her eyes coaxed her sister to drop her sword and she promised to do likewise. Ali'am's fingers clasped the buckle as her eyes turned to the Throne. Suddenly, as the Praetor's disapproving demeanor caught her eyes, Ali'am closed her eyes and turned to her sister. "I'm sorry,"

With an ear splitting shriek, Ali'am's sister unsheathed her sword and lunged towards her sister. Edala dodged the blade and unsheathed her own. Chaos captured everyone in the holodeck for the following moments. Blades sliced the air. Ali'am drew the first blood by slicing her sister's left shoulder. Edala retaliated by slamming her sister's body against the thick stone of the arena's wall which dislocated Ali'am's right shoulder.

Cheers burst from the stands with every drop of blood that struck the sand. Ali'am grazed Edala's left forearm. Edala sliced her sister's right cheek. As Ali'am charged her sister for a killing blow, Edala stepped aside and tripped her.

Ali'am tumbled about the desert sand, losing her sword as her head struck the ground with a dizzying thud.

With all her strength, Edala kicked the sword out of her sister's reach and aimed her blade at Ali'am's throat.

A collective gasp filled the crowd as Edala completed her endgame. With her sister disarmed and her sharp blade positioned for a killing blow, Edala coerced her sister back towards the wall of the arena. When her exhausted sister finally deposited herself against the wall, Edala turned to the Praetor for his decision.

The Praetor rose to his feet. His surprised chuckle echoed through the air as he applauded Edala. "The datif has defeated the purebread." Edala turned back to Ali'am, her eyes focused on the pronounced ridges on her sister's forehead. Ignoring the insult, Edala collected herself and turned back to the throne. "What are your orders, Praetor?"

A condescending smile overcame the Praetor as he clasped his hands together. "You have done much, Edala, daughter of Hei'sha, despite your disadvantage."

Edala snorted in disgust before repeating her question.

The Praetor wagged his finger at Edala before responding. "Do not let your defect get the better of you, Edala. Your human-like complexion suggests that your blood runs thinner than most of us true Romulans. Your diseased bloodline makes finding a mate extremely difficult."

A murmur of chuckles cropped up in the stands before the Praetor spoke. "So, you must overcome that disadvantage with the purest act of loyalty to the Empire."

The Praetor outstretched his right arm as he did in the last heat. This time, however, his palm faced the arena. With a definitive thrust of his arm, he retracted his hand backwards as a signal for Edala to kill her sister.

A hush silenced the crowd as Edala turned back to Ali'am. She waved the sword aloft for a few swings before looking back at Hei'sha. The junior senator was stricken with guilt. Before her father could convey his wishes, the Praetor gave his final order. "Fulfill your duty, Edala, or suffer the grave consequences."

A chant started to grow from the stands. With every repetition, it grew louder. After the third refrain, Edala raised her blade with her eyes focused on her sister's frightened grimace. With her blade at its zenith, Edala's muscles tightened for the final blow. Her piercing brown eyes glistened with tears as she gazed upon her sister for the last time. "I'm sorry,"

In the instant before the holographic Edala delivered her killing swing, Tereshkova placed her hand on Dr. Kakua's tricorder. With the push of a button, the cheers, the sweltering desert heat, and the moving blade were halted. Tereshkova gave a heavy sigh as she pressed a few buttons on her tricorder and accompanying padd. "We have the scans. And we have a few anomalies to study."

Ukweli somberly nodded as Dr. Kakua ended the program by folding his tricorder. With a digital ripple, almost every aspect of the barbaric tournament vanished from existence… except for the tears streaming down Edala's face.  
With boundless care, Nguyen cradled Edala's weeping body and shuffled her from the biobed. Once upright, Edala clutched Nguyen and held him close to her. Dr. Kakua bit his lip uncomfortably as he reset the holographic emitter for one final scan. The young surgeon shot a few tentative glances at Nguyen and mentally searched for the best way to encourage him to mount the biobed for his brainwave scan.

Finally, Tereshkova calmly walked towards Edala and placed her hand on the distressed Romulan's shoulder. As the three of them talked, Sanchez turned to Kakua, Ukweli, and Picard. "Joder! I never knew that about Romulan culture. It makes the Vulcan pon farr look like a quincenera."

"There are many details about Romulan culture that we don't know." Ukweli dispassionately stated.

Picard gave a heavy sigh. "I'd venture that we are probably the only Federation citizens to witness something like that. This is one piece of military intelligence I wish I didn't have."

After a few moments, Tereshkova returned with Nguyen and Edala, the latter had slowly stopped her flow of tears.

Tereshkova turned to Dr. Kakua and Captain Ukweli in turn as she spoke. "The first two brain scans are a good start, but we will need the third to gain a full understanding of the radiation which caused these injuries."

The science officer brushed back a few stray strands of blonde hair before she spoke again. "This trial is going to be different because Nguyen's last memory reportedly comes from the distant future. And accessing it probably pushes us over the line of violating the Temporal Prime Directive."

Nguyen turned to Captain Ukweli and pleadingly placed his hands together. "Captain, I understand and respect the virtues of noninterference with the natural order of events, but in my case we must. We cannot allow my past to be your future. It's bigger than this ship, the alliance, and even the galaxy."

Ukweli gave a heavy sigh before turning to Kakua. "How much time do we have left before the deadline?"

Kakua looked at his tricorder for an answer. "A little less than three hours."

Ukweli nodded slowly before turning to Sanchez. "Commander, am I to understand that there's a phase variance in the ship's dilithium chamber?"

Sanchez shrugged. "A 0.002 variance. It's nothing to worry about."

"Just the same, Commander, I want to supervise your work crews as they fix that malfunction." Ukweli gestured to the door. "You can't be too careful with a part of the ship that bends the spacetime continuum."

As the Captain and Chief Engineer made their way towards the exit, Ukweli turned to face Kakua and Tereshkova. "As far as I am concerned, you are conducting experimental simulations concerning this new radiation. I don't want to know the details of Nguyen's scan, I just want a cure when this is done."

"Aye, Captain," Kakua replied with a textbook salute.

Ukweli promptly returned the salute before giving her addendum. "And exercise extreme discretion with how you enter your logs about this event. For the good of your career, don't write anything you'll regret after this mission."

Kakua and Tereshkova nodded which prompted Ukweli and Sanchez to exit the Holodeck.

As Dr. Kakua escorted Nguyen to the biobed, Tereshkova checked in on Edala.

After Edala assured Tereshkova that she was fine, the science officer met with Dr. Kakua and the two synchronized their tricorders.

"I don't know about you," Dr. Kakua muttered as the neural stimulant probes beeped to life. "But, after this mission is over, I'm gonna need a drink, or seven. Can I buy you one?"

Tereshkova shot a glance at Dr. Kakua, her face bathed in the blue and white mosaic lights from her tricorder screen. "I suppose. After I send my weekly letter to my podruga, of course."

Dr. Kakua halted his thumb over his tricorder's activation prompt. "Doesn't 'podruga' mean…"

"Girlfriend," Tereshkova curtly replied as she confirmed her tricorder's uplink to the neural stimulators. Dr. Kakua mulled her word over for a second before tightening his bearing on the tricorder. "Good for you, where does she live?" Tereshkova explained her girlfriend's job as an environmental engineer overseeing the terraforming efforts for the New Thermiskyra colony on Venus' Aphrodite Terra.

Dr. Kakua nodded thoughtfully to the response. "That's some tough work with the heavy atmospheric pressure and all. I'd wager she's almost as tough as you, handling a new spacetime phenomenon with a fleet of hostile Romulans breathing down your neck." He chuckled awkwardly before turning to his peer with a sincere smile. "She's lucky to have you…"

Tereshkova responded with a fleeting smile that lasted as long as the blue flashes on her tricorder screens. "Thanks, I think so, too."

Shrugging off his disappointment, Dr. Kakua placed his thumb back over the activation prompt for his tricorder. With the showmanship of a magician, Dr. Kakua dramatically pressed the prompt after proclaiming. "Let's go beyond time's horizon."

With a chorus of confirming beeps echoing throughout the chamber, the holodeck was plunged into darkness. A blast of light resembling a thunderbolt exploded to Tereshkova's right. The eruption was fleeting. The only residual matter was a billowing cloud of smoke. The floor suddenly grew soft and permeable. Their heels sank backwards as the ground on which they stood crumbled under a steadying tide from an ocean which materialized behind them.

Despite stumbling backwards, both Tereshkova and Kakua paid the churning ocean no mind. Under any other circumstances, this thought would be abhorrent to Kakua who always learned to never turn his back to the ocean. However, the peculiarity in the sky completely absorbed his attention. The heavens appeared to be scarred with a churning gash of cosmic energy. Its center bubbled with currents of yellow and orange energy as droplets of red light bled from its edges which spread the scar.

"My God!" Kakua declared. "It's like the stars themselves are bleeding."

Tereshkova nodded in agreement. "If the Captain gave us more leeway, I'd replay this memory with my astrometrics equipment."

Before Kakua could respond, the skies shrieked with three dozen synthetic voices. Instantaneously, the galactic laceration was shadowed by a fleet of unknown spacecraft. Instead of propelling themselves through the sky with thrusters, massive green and silver tentacles reached out from each fuselage and pushed through the vacuum of space like an oar through water.

As the alien armada traversed the sky, the lead vessels fired waves of green light onto the planet on which they stood. Kakua traced the first wave to a meadow about fifty meters inland where a battle-scarred Federation starship rested in a landing position. In the midst of the sensory overload, Kakua focused his eyes on the battered vessel to determine what it was.

The charred and shredded hull was a refitted Intrepid class design. Its shape was similar to the U.S.S. Voyager but was outfitted with additional modules indicating the ship had the same advanced technology the Destiny had. Judging by the corroded struts and weathered veneer, the vessel may have been a contemporary of the Destiny but the damage was too far to tell.

As the green wave passed over the cluttered hulk of a ship, Kakua fixated his eyes on the craft. Suddenly, a few seconds later, the tall grass surrounding the vessel began to stir. Two dozen Starfleet officers clad in stained and unraveling uniforms slowly crawled to the aft access hatch of the vessel.

Kakua turned to Tereshkova who was still fixated on the unknown bodies in the sky and got her attention with a cough. He indicated the small platoon of Starfleet operatives by cocking his head in the direction of the corroded vessel. As Tereshkova nodded her approval, Kakua refocused the holographic simulation on the group by pressing a few buttons on his tricorder.

After a few flashes of light, the two Starfleet observers found themselves standing immediately outside the landed vessel. The platoon of Starfleet operatives had fallen face down into the damp grass to avoid detection as another wave of green light passed over the meadow. While the front of their uniforms were threadbare and crumbled, the fabric on their backs was thick and inflexible. No doubt this material masked their bio-signatures from the scanners.

A young Romulan Ensign rose to his feet after the wave cleared them. "Cursed marauders!" The young man whispered. "No matter how far we go, they always find us."

"Lucky they didn't detect us with the new bio-dampeners." A young human female responded.

The slight frame of the Captain came into view as he announced. "Well done, Lieutenant, without the bio-dampeners, we'd be in a lot more trouble." The voice belonged to Nguyen. The former young cadet was now decades older. His thick black hair was now reduced to a cluster of pale wisps which reluctantly submitted to being combed backwards. His weathered skin bore a myriad of scars from countless physical debacles that could not be repaired with a dermal regenerator. The red collar indicating his rank of captain was shredded beyond recognition. His pips on his collar flopped flaccidly from his neck to his chest. His muscles gingerly reached towards the vessel's auxiliary access hatch as his winded lungs gave out a shallow sigh of pain.

Nguyen was easily over 110 years old. A series of strategically placed implants in his joints kept him mobile. A pair of flaps was cut in the front of his uniform to let a pair of respiratory tubes protrude from his uniform. By all rights he should be retired and resting but the hellscape in which Kakua and Tereshkova found themselves demonstrated that such actions were mere fantasy.

With the elder Nguyen's hands pressed on the hatch's control panel, the pressure sealed doors lethargically slid open. The right one moved halfway along its track before freezing in place. Nguyen raised his eyes to the celestial incision in the sky in disgust before resignedly looking at the three-quarter opened hatchway.

"Hopefully when we leave, we can get this hatch sealed well enough to maintain the atmosphere. Otherwise we have to make Deck 15 off-limits." Nguyen admitted as he gestured for his crew to enter inside.

With most of his crew inside, Nguyen turned to his First Officer, an elderly Vulcan woman. "Ensign Peters, received communication from Starfleet Command. They're sending a vessel to reacquire us and send us to the New Earth colony on Kappa Persei. We just need to get out of this system. Their ship will pick us up and we'll execute the proper battlefield decommissioning procedures so the Marauders won't get a hold of it."

The Vulcan shook her head with a sobering expression. "I object to the prospect of destroying this vessel. Granted, the Liberty has its flaws but it is still a Starfleet vessel. Need I remind you, Captain, such materials are in woefully short supply? It is illogical to thin our fleet when the surviving factions of the Federation require more vessels not less."

"Ordinarily, I'd yield to that logic, Itza." Nguyen chuckled shallowly as he hoisted himself through the mostly opened hatchway. His entire body convulsed in a violent cough from the effort. Finally, after his First Officer steadied him, Nguyen continued his argument. "But, with a jerry-rigged warp core and a hull that is more rust than tritanium, the Liberty is a liability, not an asset."

Nguyen opened an access hatch and hesitantly grabbed the rungs of the ladder inside. "Besides, the number of starships we have won't matter once Command finishes building the Ark."

Itza shook her head wearily as she followed her captain up the ladder through the crawlspace. "A sub-light barge heading towards the Andromeda Galaxy with the last surviving members of the Federation in cryogenic freeze has less than a one in ten thousand chance of succeeding."

"It worked for the Botany Bay and it's the best solution to our problems. The sub-light speeds keep The Tear from spreading. Also, the ship's low power and nonexistent warp signature both keep the Marauders from detecting us. It's the best chance we have. Besides..." Nguyen caught his breath at the top of the ladder. After moving away from the ladder onto a nearby platform, Nguyen's weary eyes turned to Itza. His cheeks and jaw drooped with the burden of countless years of defeat. "A nap that lasts an eon or two is just what I need right now."

After admitting his exhaustion, Nguyen straightened to a position of attention. He gently slapped his cheeks to tighten his face muscles. He turned to Itza for her appraisal. "You look satisfactory, Captain."

Nguyen grinned. "Given the circumstances, that's high praise."

He slid open the hatchway which led to the bridge and stepped out. "Ensign Peters, any sign of Marauders?"

Tereshkova tapped Dr. Kakua on the shoulder signalling him to stop the simulation. Dr. Kakua complied and gave a heavy sigh. Both Destiny officers turned to Nguyen whose eyes peered back to them with earnestness. "You see? This is why the Temporal Prime Directive isn't all it's cracked up to be. All of it could've been prevented with the right planning. If this is the natural order of events, I think it's okay to shake things up."

As the Holodeck returned to its pristine and polished default settings, Dr. Kakua and Tereshkova reunited Nguyen with Edala. With extreme dispatch, Kakua instructed Nguyen to escort Edala to her quarters and then report to his own quarters. As the two youngest members of the Destiny's crew made their way to the nearby turbolift, Kakua and Tereshkova briskly made their way to sickbay.

"How long do you think it will take to isolate the proper signature configuration and synthesize a cure?" Dr. Kakua asked as they turned a corner. "Ninety minutes and thirty seconds," Tereshkova responded. Dr. Kakua clicked his tongue. "Right down to the second, very thorough."

Tereshkova shook her head as the doors to sickbay slid open. "That's the absolute maximum amount of time we have to isolate an antidote. Then we have to apply it to our landing party, confirm its viability, and finally mass produce enough of it to inoculate the Romulans before the 24 hour deadline expires."

Dr. Kakua grunted in agreement before sitting down at his desk. "I like your plan. This calls for music and I have the perfect collection for a cram session: Classic 20th Century Rock to hype us up and Slack Key Guitar to mellow us out when we need to concentrate. Do you like those genres?" Tereshkova handed Dr. Kakua an earpiece. "I don't, but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it."

No one said a word as Edala and Nguyen filed into the empty turbolift. Soft traumatic shivers assaulted Edala's body as she hugged herself for warmth and security. She was no longer in the arena on Romulus. She was twenty years and even more lightyears away from that fateful day.

Nguyen instructed the turbolift computer to take them to their quarters and then gave a heavy sigh. For the next few moments, he stared at the polished trimming that made up the hatchway as the car's motors calibrated themself for the journey across the ship.

When they finally started to move, Edala turned to Nguyen as her hands slowly dropped to her side. "Tell me one thing, Kenneth. That is your name, isn't it?"

Nguyen flashed a small smile on his face as he turned to the young Romulan. "You can call me 'Kenny.' That's what my friends call me." Edala smiled politely before speaking again. Her forehead furrowed in concentration as she delicately placed the words she was about to say in order. "Before this injury took away my memory," Sweat began to bead on her scalp as her psyche struggled to overcome the next linguistic obstacle. "Were we… were we ever… acquaintances?"

Nguyen chuckled softly before answering her question. "We were but not the way you think. Your business was with the Federation Diplomatic Corps. I, on the other hand, focused on getting through the Command Training Program with exemplary marks so I could get drafted by Starfleet Special Forces at the end of my time here."

Edala smiled meekly and bowed her head slightly before continuing. "If that's true, then how did you know my father's nickname for me? No one outside our family knows my father called me 'zahra.' How do you know I cooked him spiced surtan for his birthday? And how did you know about my talent for the Romulan lyre and my favorite song?"

Nguyen gave a heavy sigh before answering. "Because about twelve hours from now -if things go as they did before- you and I will be warming ourselves next to a smoldering piece of wreckage which once belonged to this ship and you will tell me. After that, we will spend two whole weeks foraging for our survival on the planet below praying that Starfleet Command sent a rescue ship to reacquire us."

The right corner of Edala's lip smirked as she examined Nguyen's expression. After briefly appraising the young man that stood before her, and smiled softly. A faint frown overcame Nguyen's face as he glanced at Edala. Since it was Edala's pon farr -the irrational time of mating- he had no idea of knowing what she was going to say next. "In my culture, we don't share personal details like our childhood nicknames unless we are courting someone."

Nguyen uncomfortably shifted his stance and before glancing at Edala. "Well, it was a tough night. The last detachment of the Romulan convoy was destroyed by the planet's radiation. All the military personnel who attacked us and most of the civilian refugees were reduced to protoplasm. You were feeling alone and I felt defeated. We shared some things that night."

A small whine filled the air as the turbolift car changed from vertical to horizontal transport. As their transport shifted positions, Edala placed her hand on Nguyen's shoulder. "You are attracted to me, aren't you, Kenny?"

Nguyen gave a heavy sigh and bowed his head before speaking. "It's complicated, Edala. How I truly feel and what I know are fighting each other right now."

A glowing smile beamed over Edala's tanned face. "You sound like a Vulcan." Her voice was teasing. "We Romulans gave up that useless self-restraint a long time ago. Our lives are much better for it. Besides, you instigated the mating ritual when the surgeon woke me up."

"I used that technique with the fingers to calm you down so Dr. Kakua could explain what happened to you." Nguyen's voice was twisted in equal parts defensiveness and restraint. Edala chuckled softly. "You wouldn't have known about that technique unless you've been with a Romulan. Did I show you that?"

As the door hissed open, Nguyen stepped forward. "This is my floor." The cadet tried to push himself outside the turbolift but Edala blocked his path with her outstretched arm.

"You can tell me how you feel, Kenny." Edala's playful tone grew slightly more aggressive. "I defeated a generation of imperial gladiators in a pon farr tournament, I'm tough enough to handle what you have to say."

Nguyen resignedly allowed his back to collide against the aft portion of the turbolift car. In those moments his mind raced with calculations concerning the benefits and costs of telling her his thoughts. Suddenly, as the doors hissed shut, a new revelation derailed everything he thought about. His reflection on the doors' polished trim instantly absorbed all of his attention.

Bleaching white streaks assaulted his formerly thick black mane of hair. His eyes became more sunken with every passing moment just as his holographic self appeared in Dr. Kakua's experiment. In horror, Nguyen looked to the bottom of his forearms and saw a web of scars rapidly stitched onto his once taught muscles. With every new scar, the muscle fibers sagged.

Cadet Kenneth Nguyen was aging over ninety years in a matter of seconds. Without the implants that had held him upright and breathing, Nguyen's frame began to buckle. In an instant, his knees crumbled causing Edala to hold him up. To stop his fall, Nguyen flung his arms around Edala's neck and held on with all the feeble strength he had.

"Sickbay," Nguyen's frail voice barely reached Edala's ears. Edala clutched Nguyen close to her chest and instructed the turbolift to return to sickbay.

Although very few sounds were heard in Dr. Kakua's office, both the ship's surgeon and science officer were busy at work. Tereshkova sat in front of the giant digital screens where she highlighted a series of irrelevant permutations for deletion. The surviving candidates were sent to Dr. Kakua who meticulously combed over them with an algorithm to prioritize signatures that could potentially affect acetylcholine levels in the brain. From there, if time allowed, he would run computer simulations on the final candidates to predict which one would reverse the process experienced by Picard, Nguyen and Edala.

The scientific duo had narrowed down 15 septillion different sets of data to less than two thousand in a matter of minutes. Of those surviving numbers, 118 were serious candidates for simulations. The problem was the closer the team arrived to isolating a cure, the more rigorous the experimental trials became. Fewer data sets were traded for more analysis and study.

The breakneck pace at which Tereshkova and Kakua were working suddenly came to a screeching halt when the main doors opened. A disoriented man stood in the doorway. The man seemed to stagger through the door's threshold with one hand on his thick brown hair and the other inches in front of his face. His blue eyes shimmered in joy as he traced every contour of his finger. Even after closer inspection, a bystander couldn't tell if the man staggered because of crippling amazement or the fact that the silver tunic which he wore was suddenly too tight for his spontaneously growing muscles. The truth was probably a combination of the two.

When the door finally hissed behind the astonished crewmember, he spoke. "Hey, Doc," His voice broke as if he was reliving his adolescence all over again.

Dr. Kakua disconnected his earpiece in mild annoyance and turned to face the crewmember. As his eyes locked onto the trudging crewmember, the medic jumped to his feet. "I think that genetic disguise you made for me to look older is wearing off. Is that normal?"

The reverse aging Ambassador Picard tripped over his own feet. The younger Picard steadied himself by clutching a nearby bio-bed. With his feet finally under him, the newly transformed Ensign Jean-Luc Picard raised his head up high and gave a long satisfying sigh. "Not that I'm complaining. I feel like I can finally run a marathon again."

In three brisk steps, Dr. Kakua met Ensign Picard and began scanning him with his tricorder. As Tereshkova began to follow suit, Dr. Kakua slowly shook his head. "It's another confounding variable, Svetlana."

Tereshkova shook her head. "Another effect of the radiation?" Kakua nodded his head.

Before Dr. Kakua could explain, the doors flung open again and Edala hovelled into sickbay with a frail Nguyen draped on her shoulder. Kakua swore under his breath as he gently took the 110 year old cadet from the young Romulan. Tereshkova quickly shuffled a biobed from a nearby alcove.

With extreme care, Dr. Kakua laid Nguyen's wheezing limbs onto the biobed and signaled Tereshkova for a medkit. "Sorry, Svetlana, looks like you'll be my nurse until I can stabilize him."

A gruesome frown swept over Picard's face as he looked at the formerly young cadet now writhing in pain for breath. As Dr. Kakua placed a respirator over Nguyen's mouth, Picard asked what the ship's surgeon needed. A sharp expression burned from Kakua's eyes. "You can use those rejuvenated legs of yours to run topside and get the Captain."

Picard nodded as a chorus of labored coughs fell from Nguyen's lungs.

With a step and a half, Picard flung himself out of sickbay and towards the nearby turbolift.


	15. Episode 2, Chapter 7: Contingency Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the crew of the Destiny makes plans for the worst case scenario.

Chapter 7: Contingency Plans

Ukweli sat in her ready room looking out at the close formation of Romulan vessels from her aft window. A communique from Starfleet Command had just arrived with instructions concerning their situation. Given that those instructions were based on information from the beginning of this crisis, Ukweli debated their usefulness during these present times.

Only two and a half hours remained until the Romulan deadline. As she emphasized to Ensign Picard, she had hoped that rational diplomacy would get them out of this situation. If an antidote could not be synthesized in time, she started weighing other options. With each solution she pondered, the likelihood for success seemed to plummet.

Almost on cue, the chime to her Ready Room was activated. No sooner than she said the word "enter," a frenzied Ensign Picard staggered into the Ready Room. Or, at least she thought the disheveled young man was the Federation statesman. He was wearing the Ambassador's signature tunic but his thick brown hair and slightly more muscular build threw her off.

"Picard?" she finally asked. Picard nodded and caught his breath before requesting that she accompany him to Sickbay. Ukweli responded with an incredulously shallow nod. "Couldn't you have just summoned me with your commbage?"

Picard shook his head. "Forgive the breach in protocol, Captain, ma'am, but I've just gotten my young body back and I wanted to make the most of it." He doubled over for an instant as a residual cough burst from his chest. "I'll never complain about doing calisthenics ever again."

Ukweli nodded deeper. "Did Dr. Kakua do this to you?"

Picard shook his head. "No, it happened on its own. Dr. Kakua said something about some kind of after-effect of the radiation. Whatever that means."

Ukweli promptly gestured for them to leave her Ready Room for Sickbay. As the two approached the sliding doors, her combadge chirped with a message from Lieutenant Al-Muzud. "Captain, Admiral I'ban is signaling from the Romulan flagship. He's demanding a progress report."

Ukweli stopped herself and sighed before authorizing her tactical officer to put the message through.

A faint blue holographic glow filled the air and an instant later a Romulan in a black tunic materialized behind Ukweli and Picard. "Captain, you have less than two hours before your deadline. We demand an update."

Ukweli crossed her arms before addressing the Romulan admiral. "Per our agreement, we have two hours and thirty minutes." Her voice was calm as her piercing brown eyes carried the bulk of her resentment to the Romulan's inaccurate claim.

The Romulan admiral placed his right hand to his chest in feigned embarrassment. "Forgive me, my chronometer must be malfunctioning. Either way, I'm sure your First Contact efforts are more effective than our timekeeping equipment."

Ukweli's eyes peered into her Romulan counterpart's face. "Sizeable progress has been made."

A simper came across I'ban's face. "'Sizeable progress?' I am not familiar with that metric of Starfleet diplomacy. Does that mean you are on schedule or have you wasted our collective time?"

"There is an unknown cosmic phenomenon on the planet which has served as an obstacle." Ukweli shot back at the admiral. "However, we are extremely close to overcoming it. At that point, you may settle the planet."

I'ban cocked an eyebrow. "'Undiscovered cosmic phenomenon.' What a convenient excuse for defaulting on our original agreement. What is it? Did your universal translators break down forcing you to communicate with the indigenous in sign language?"

Ukweli's face and tone became sobering as she relayed the next message. "There is a form of radiation on the planet that is toxic to all non-indigenous lifeforms. A member of my crew has already died and several others are in critical condition."

I'ban dropped his jaw in feigned concern. "When did this happen, Captain? Why didn't you tell us? If we had known earlier we would have gladly sent our Romulan scientists to assist you."

"We have reason to believe that the radiation is equally toxic to Romulans as it is to humans." Ukweli sharply retorted.

I'ban helplessly raised his hands. "How convenient. But you understand my doubts concerning the seriousness of this alleged radiation on Romulans from a human. Where is that naive young girl our beloved Praetor appointed to represent him on this mission? What is her name? Isn't it Edala?"

Ukweli responded without blinking. "She is collaborating with our medical staff to synthesize an antidote for the radiation. I am told they are close to synthesizing one. Either way, I'm afraid she's unavailable."

I'ban shrugged at the news. "Or the Praetor's only surviving daughter has fallen victim to this so-called radiation herself. Otherwise how would you know the radiation is toxic to Romulan?. Such a tragedy." He gave a heavy sigh of sham mourning. "I suppose in that event, the burden of leading the Romulan people through this calamity would then fall on me."

The Romulan's beady eyes glared back at Ukweli. "And as acting intendant for our absent Praetor, I will tell you that neither your vessel nor your so-called radiation will stop us from landing on the planet's surface in two hours and twenty six minutes. We will destroy your vessel in the most legitimate form of Romulan self-preservation, if necessary. Our people are starving. Our vessels are crumbling. We can no longer wait."

Ukweli stifled a sigh before speaking. "Which is why I am proposing some alternatives to landing on the planet. We are willing to invite your wounded Romulan passengers onto this vessel for treatment. We can convert all of our cargo bays into hospital wards if necessary."

I'ban sharply turned his head. "And allow Romulan subjects to be taken hostage by the Federation. I think not. Besides, if your ship has been exposed to this toxic radiation, what's to say the Romulan visitors wouldn't either? Hmmm…..?"

Undeterred, Ukweli dispassionately offered her second solution. "Then if your vessels truly are crumbling, please allow our engineers to board them. We can conduct repairs to keep them space-worthy until we either find a cure for the radiation or journey to another star system for resettlement if this planet fails as a suitable location."

The Romulan admiral chuckled. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Federation engineers tinkering with classified Romulan spacefaring technology. I'm sorry. I know many policies have changed since the supernova but protecting imperial secrets is still sacrosanct."

At this point, Picard spoke up. "What imperial secrets could you possibly be hiding on a bunch of crumbling civilian freighters?"

The Romulan peered at the younger version of Picard in confusion. "Forgive me, who are you?"

Ensign Picard puffed his chest to appear intimidating before speaking. "I am Ensign…."

At that point Ukweli stepped in. "He is an enthusiastic young ensign, who needs to know his place in the chain of command."

Undaunted by Ukweli's comment, Picard continued. "There is a legitimate threat on the planet which could very well kill you if you ignore it. We have offered you two alternatives as reasonable solutions. If you attack us in your attempt to land on the planet, I remind you that you are in Federation space. One phaser blast to our hull will result in all of Starfleet hunting you down."

"That's enough, Ensign!" Ukweli roared.

Picard paused while I'ban shifted his gaze from Ukweli to the young ensign. "I would listen to your captain, Ensign. She is extremely compassionate. On a Romulan ship, a subordinate would receive sixty lashes for such an outburst. We call it 'conduct unbecoming of an officer.'"

I'ban turned back to Ukweli. "In the interests of accuracy, you have two hours and twenty four minutes left. I hope you use them wisely. If you squander them, they may very well be your last."

Before Ukweli could respond, Admiral I'ban's likeness disappeared in a wave of dissolving pixels.

With the threat of death hanging in the air, Ukweli calmly turned to Picard and gestured for them to exit the Ready Room. After briskly walking through the bridge, Ukweli entered an open turbolift. Once Picard followed her, she set the turbolift for secured transport meaning no one else could summon the car while she was aboard.

As the elevator plunged down a handful of decks, Ukweli turned to Picard and shallowly shook her head. "I apologize for my decorum, Captain, but the Romulan admiral was not heeding your words so I offered my support."

"Your support was not requested, Ensign." Ukweli sharply responded after turning towards the doors.

Picard shifted to the position of attention before speaking. "Permission to speak candidly, ma'am?"

Ukweli suppressed a chuckle. "You have it. Although I thought you articulated most of your thoughts in that meeting."

Picard turned to Ukweli and softened his stance. "We are dealing with Romulans. We must be firmer with them. I don't completely understand how or why this detachment of Romulans got here but they are taking advantage of us and we must draw the line here."

Ukweli unblinkingly turned to face Picard. "What do you suggest we do, Ensign?"

Picard placed his hands to his side in a relaxed position of attention. "Inform Starfleet Command of the deteriorating situation. Ask them to send a few more ships to balance the terms of the impending fight."

Ukweli sighed. "First of all, we can't get assistance. We're in the middle of the Romulan Neutral Zone and the nearest ships wouldn't be able to get here in time. Secondly, given all the variables of this situation, diplomacy must be the answer. If we are belligerent, more will be lost than a planet, this ship, and a flotilla of Romulan refugees."

Picard responded. "You've offered diplomacy and they've rejected it. Surely you Section 31 types have some sort of classified transwarp technology for situations like this. We must try to strengthen our side to match theirs. That way we can deter them."

Ukweli shot a glance back at Picard before pressing the command to halt the turbolift. Against her better judgment, she decided to humor the young Ensign's Section 31 fallacy. "For the sake of your argument, let's suppose we can. Even if we get an extra Federation vessel or the entire primary fleet to assist us, escalation of force is exactly what they want. We escalate, they attack us in response, and collectively we condemn the Federation and Romulan Empire to war. We need to find another way."

"There is no other way," Picard retorted.

Ukweli sighed and turned away from Picard. "There was a better way and we lost it about twenty-two hours ago." She pressed the command for the turbolift car to resume its course before muttering. "Never meet your heroes."

Picard incredulously raised an eyebrow. "Ma'am?"

Ukweli wearily turned to Picard. Her shoulders slumped from the exhaustion of concealing the truth from the former ambassador. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but you are suffering from the same injury as Edala, our resident Romulan. You think you are a twenty-one year old ensign but you're really a ninety-two year old ambassador." She repeated the stardate for reference.

Picard's jaw dropped as he unconvincingly stared at Ukweli. "If that's true, how do you explain…" He pointed to his youthful build.

"I'm hoping Dr. Kakua can give us a serviceable explanation for that." Ukweli calmly responded. "After all, we have given him ample time to figure something out."

Picard uncomprehendingly walked up to Ukweli as she stared at the doors ahead of her. "I'm an ambassador? How did I end up there? What happened to my career in Starfleet? I'm hoping I made it to at least commander before I got out."

"The only reason I'm going to tell you is because I'm hoping some realization of who you are will improve our working relationship together." Ukweli gave a sigh and crossed her arms while she articulated the alternative. She considered mentioning the synaptic pruning method for memory erasure but she advised against it.

Picard nodded slowly as he slowly comprehended what Ukweli just said. "You become one of the greatest captains in Starfleet History. To this date, historians host serious debates as to whether you or Kirk are the better Captain."

Ukweli looked over at Picard as he slowly grappled with her revelation. "Somewhere between that fight at Starbase Earhart and your first command, you learn to balance your spirited resolve with disciplined diplomacy. Then, you accomplish wonders. You make contact with countless new civilizations. You resolve conflicts across the galaxy including a civil war in the Klingon Empire. After you leave Starfleet, you nearly accomplish the impossible: bringing peace between the Federation and the Romulans."

As the turbolift motors wound down, Ukweli wrapped up her speech. "Finally, in a commencement speech you gave after the Battle of the Bassen Rift, you inspire an orphaned daughter to become captain of a starship where she can defend people like her murdered parents. Your speech showed me that if you could shoulder such loss and still move forward, I could, too."

Picard nodded thoughtfully as the doors hissed open. "I never realized…"

Ukweli raised her hand to silence him. "It's okay. I've never told anyone that before. That's one piece of classified information that stays between us. Your ears only."

Captain Ukweli and Picard stepped out of the turbolift towards sickbay.

The mood was somber in sickbay as Ukweli and Picard entered. Edala and Nguyen were back in the quarantine compartment behind a faint purple force field. Nguyen lay barely conscious on the biobed with his eyes focused on Edala whose tanned face was pockmarked with several dozen lights from nearby medical scanners.

As the beams of light streaked across her face, she focused her gaze intently on Nguyen, holding his frail hands in hers.

While the computer compiled its data, Dr. Kakua broke his gaze from the digital screens to address his captain.

"We've discovered a secondary effect of the radiation. It appears that the cellular changes also affected the endocrine and lymphatic systems in addition to the primal brain and cerebral cortex." The surgeon gestured to Picard and looked at Ukweli who gave him a silent nod as permission to brief the transformed ambassador on his condition.

"Twenty two hours ago, you were a 92 year old man and -with all due respect- you looked the part." Kakua pointed to a freshly materialized readout of Nguyen's brain and nervous system. "When the radiation altered your brain waves and neuroanatomy to resemble yourself at 21 years old, similar changes happened to the parts of your body responsible for your metabolism and immune system."

Ukweli frowned and crossed her arms. "Are you sure this transformation isn't triggered by that holographic experiment you just performed?" Tereshkova stepped up to Ukweli with a padd and shook her head. "No, the changes were always there. We just weren't paying attention to them because we prioritized the changes to the hippocampus area. The metabolic changes manifested slowly because of the vast age differentials."

Kakua wearily turned to Picard with faux jubilation. "You have the opportunity to live your life all over again. Under normal circumstances I'd congratulate you, Picard except…"

He pointed to the quarantine compartment where an exhausted Nguyen dropped his raised hand onto his chest. "Cadet Nguyen has pretty much outlived his body in a single day."

Picard grimaced as Ukweli focused her gaze on Nguyen's frail limbs. "What can you do for him?" She finally asked.

Kakua gave a heavy sigh before walking towards the force field. "I can keep him stable but we probably won't be ambulatory. Assuming we get out of this without being blown to bits by the Romulans, we can send him to the Borg Rehabilitation Institute where they can fashion prototypes for the implants that kept him mobile and breathing in his time…" He somberly looked at Nguyen's skeletal scans before giving a defeated nod. "but odds are, those implants won't be as good as the ones he had. Those came from 91 years in the future and even those barely kept him together."

Ukweli nodded sympathetically before speaking. "What about Edala? Has she experienced any of the effects?"

Kakua looked over his shoulder at his captain. "Yes. She actually reacted faster than her human counterparts. Her metabolism reverted to her first pon farr almost immediately after her exposure to the radiation. It's possible that any Romulans who land on the planet will experience similar phenomena. If they're not reduced to primordial protoplasm, of course."

Ukweli shrugged off Kakua's comment as she turned to the screen displaying the candidate signatures for a cure. "What's your status on isolating a cure?"

Kakua highlighted a bracket of data and expanded it in bigger detail. "In the last 24 hours, we cut down 305 centillion distinct radiation signatures to about 120 serious contenders." At this point, Tereshkova spoke up and handed Ukweli her padd. "118 possible candidates to be exact. Our progress has been unthinkably fast, no doubt thanks to our Good Doctor's unorthodox methods."

Kakua gave a soft deferential nod. "And the empirical discipline of our equally talented science officer." Ukweli spared a moment to congratulate the pair before continuing her probing questions. "How close are you to isolating a possible cure?"

Kakua glanced at Tereshkova before sheepishly grimacing. "The fewer candidates we have, the more rigorous our screening process needs to be. If we're off by a single variable, the would-be cure becomes a poison."

Captain Ukweli gave a heavy sigh before Tereshkova interjected. "I am creating an algorithm to eliminate obvious lethal combinations." She turned to Dr. Kakua. "But I need you to approve it before I apply it."

Ukweli glanced at Nguyen and Edala inside the compartment. "You have forty five minutes to isolate your best candidate. If the cure doesn't work, we will need the remaining time to implement other contingencies."

Ukweli turned to Kakua. "Starfleet Command has ordered that all knowledge Cadet Nguyen has concerning the future be destroyed. That includes everything from records related to that little experiment I let you do in the holodeck to his official and personal logs."

Kakua nearly dropped his padd in shock. "Why? The future he's from is an absolute hellscape. If we know the events of how that happened, we can prevent it."

Ukweli's shoulder slumped as she shook her head wearily. "For the sake of your career, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. Ever since the rogue Admiral Janeway disrupted the timeline to bring the Voyager home decades earlier than intended, the Temporal Mechanics Department has tightened its regulations regarding foreknowledge of future events."

Kakua gave a dejected sigh as Ukweli gave a sympathetic frown. "I don't entirely agree with their reasoning but my career's on the line, too, if I don't carry out their directive."

Kakua nodded as Ukweli turned to Tereshkova. "Let me know if you find a cure before the forty five minute deadline. If not, we'll report here at 0530."

After the doors hissed behind Ukweli and Picard, Kakua turned to Tereshkova and told her to get the algorithm ready. He then picked up a handheld activation switch for the force field. "I'm going to test the compartment's soundproofing technology. You shouldn't be able to hear anything. Don't be alarmed." He then shot a glance at Tereshkova hinting at the deeper meaning for his actions. Tereshkova peered up from her microscope and nodded slyly.

With the flip of the switch, the purple force field vanished. Kakua stepped into the compartment and saw Edala sitting next to Nguyen's bio bed with her hand gently brushing the sweat off of the elderly cadet's weathered forehead.

Her piercing brown eyes doubled in size as she caught Kakua entering the compartment. Clumsily, she staggered to her feet and assumed a position of attention. Kakua tenderly smiled. "It's okay," He calmed the young Romulan down with a few waves of his hand. "Considering the kind of day you've both had, it's good that you're finding comfort."

Kakua looked over his shoulder at the opaque wall of light behind him. He frowned as he realized Edala probably shouldn't know about what he was about to do, either. "I think Tereshkova needs a genetic sample from you so we can run the effects of a possible cure on Romulan physiology." Edala nodded softly and made her way to the forcefield. With two pushes of a button, Edala was now completely out of earshot. With the compartment secured, Kakua turned to Nguyen.

The 112 year old cadet breathed heavily into the transparent bowl of his artificial respirator. As his sunken and exhausted eyes winced, Dr. Kakua made his way to a control panel and dimmed the lights.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you, Kenny. If there were any justice to this situation, this would've happened to Edala." Kakua then sat in the same place Edala was moments earlier. "Her Romulan metabolism could have handled aging 91 years better than even the fittest human, not to say you weren't fit enough before."

Nguyen took as deep a breath as his lungs could muster and shook his head. "No, it wouldn't have worked." Before Kakua could ask why, the exhausted cadet then looked forlornly at his paralyzed body. "But it is still disappointing." Nguyen shook his head in pain. "I have all this knowledge of impending disasters and no way to stop them,"

Kakua nodded thoughtfully before responding. "Yeah, I gotta talk to you about that, Kenny." He then explained Captain Unweli's orders from the Temporal Mechanics Department.

"We are ordered to erase everything related to your experience after we find a cure for the radiation." Kakua's voice was bereft of a single ounce of conviction. He was simply relaying orders from above.

Nguyen bit his lip and shook his head. "We can't! We won't! There's too much at stake." "I know, I know. But this isn't up to me. It comes from people much higher up." Kakua nodded as he looked his formerly young friend square in the eye. "So what are your orders, Captain Nguyen?"

Nguyen stared at the ceiling while making some mental calculations. "Before I got my Borg implants to keep me going, a surgeon concocted a mix of steroids and bronchodilators that sustained me for brief bursts of time. I can tell you what those were. That would keep me active enough-"

A cough shook his chest before he spoke again. "You're saying my logs have to be erased?" Kakua nodded causing Nguyen to tighten his jaw in contemplation. After a few moments, a faint smile curved Nguyen's lips upwards before he spoke again. "Then I'm gonna need something else. It might be difficult to get but it's the only way to be sure."

Kakua leaned over to Nguyen's lips and the old cadet whispered the request in his left ear. Kakua gave a soft nod as the frown on his face morphed into a thoughtful grin. "You're right, it is a tall order, but I'm pretty sure I can get that for you. Next to finding a cure, getting you that ancient technology is a piece of cake."

Kakua gave a playful nudge of encouragement on Nguyen's shoulder before making his way to the force field. As the purple light vanished, Kakua looked over to Nguyen. "If we get out of this, you deserve an appointment to the Federation Security Council and Starfleet Special Forces." Nguyen responded with a labored smile. "Only if you find a cure, Doc."

Dr. Kakua chuckled. "Just get me the name of those drugs you took before and I'll get you there." As Kakua stepped out of the compartment, Edala stepped back in with her right hand rubbing a tender portion of her neck.

While Kakua and Tereshkova continued their relentless quest for a cure, Ukweli and Picard finally arrived at the bridge. Since it was the night shift, almost every station on the bridge was staffed with junior officers, except for tactical.

Lieutenant Ibrahim Al-Muzud sat at his station with his eyes meticulously fixed on a map of the sector. As Picard stood next to the turbolift in awe of the bridge's complexity, Ukweli stood next to Al-Muzud and asked for a report. "I've deflected a series of tactical scans by a pair of Romulan warbirds over the last fifteen minutes. They appear to be assessing our weaknesses. Their strategy suggests that they seek to destroy us." Al-Muzud indicated the responsible warbirds on his console.

Ukweli glanced over at Picard before studying the console's constellations of green dots orbiting the central blue point indicating her ship. "Where is the nearest Federation ship?" She finally asked.

With two buttons, Al-Muzud pulled up a bigger map of the quadrant. A dusting of blue dots rested several inches away from the Destiny's isolated corner. "The U.S.S. Beijing, a refitted sovereign class vessel. The bad news is she's easily three days away at high warp."

Ukweli gave a heavy sigh. "It was worth a try." She muttered before glancing at the sensor log section of Al-Muzud's tactical station. "You said you deflected a few of the Romulans' tactical scans. Could you, instead, reflect them so we can learn about their defenses and vulnerabilities?"

Al-Muzud raised an eyebrow before punching up the ship's sensor logs. "I think I can. I can mask our wavelength to match their own sensors."

"Prioritize the heavy cruisers and work down to the smaller ships if you get the time. Isolate their vulnerabilities." Ukweli ordered before sitting back in her command chair. "Then start formulating strategies to disable them, not destroy them." She gave a heavy sigh and recited a proverb her grandmother told her. "If anyone slew a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people."

Hearing the reference, Al-Muzud completed the phrase. "And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people." Ukweli smiled as she addressed her tactical officer. "I heard those words many times as a child, Lieutenant. I never fully understood them until our current predicament. Hopefully, we'll succeed in the latter."

She looked over at Picard and gestured for him to come forward. "Ensign, please join the Lieutenant in formulating some viable strategies." The young Picard excitedly made his way to the Tactical Station. When Al-Muzud caused a holographic pane to materialize in front of him, the Ensign stared at it in wide-eyed amazement and mumbled something about "massive progress" being made since "his time."

Al-Muzud populated the hovering image with a list of the ship's armaments and defensive maneuvers. While Ensign Picard's eyes should have gravitated to the short but sophisticated list of weapons, the young officer stood transfixed on the map of the star system and the Destiny's engine capabilities. As Picard studied the screens, Al-Muzud explained that the ship needed to remain in orbit around the planet to prevent Romulan vessels from illegally landing on the surface.

After a few seconds, Picard triumphantly snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea. What if we prime the engines and manipulate a warp signature that fools the Romulan vessels that we are in two places at once? That way we can confuse their targeting sensors."

Al-Muzud nodded in understanding. "Oh, you mean like the Picard maneuver?"

The young Ensign's jaw dropped in astonishment. "The what maneuver?"

Al-Muzud caught a sharp look from Captain Ukweli before answering. "It's just something I studied at the academy."

Picard turned to Ukweli briefly. "This Picard fellow seems to be as talented a tactician as he is a diplomat."

Ukweli smiled briefly. "He's a remarkably complex individual, Ensign."

As Picard and Ukweli shared a smile, Al-Muzud regained the young Ensign's attention. "Nevertheless, I think you're onto something here, please tell me more."

While the rest of the ship busied itself by finding a cure or preparing for battle, Nguyen found himself avidly recording every relevant detail of the future. As he hoped, the steroids and dilators worked sufficiently for him to stand upright and foretell the final days of the Milky Way Galaxy. One thing he couldn't anticipate was the oscillating waves of sharp pain and aches from traversing an ancient ballpoint pen over the pristine white sheets of paper Dr. Kakua had replicated.

Writing on paper was a novel experience. In the 25th Century, paper was virtually a lost technology like Greek Fire was after the Middle Ages. In an age of padds and recorded personal logs, scribing detailed paragraphs on processed tree pulp was as archaic as a person from the 21st Century chronicling their life story through Neolithic cave paintings.

Whenever his hands ached, Edala rushed to his aid. As she gently rubbed the joints in his fingers to soothe the pain, Nguyen covered his writing with his free arm. If she knew the details of her own destiny, she'd be devastated. Of the five pages he wrote as a doomsday prophecy, Nguyen dedicated an entire page to Edala's fate.

Finally, after the final pen stroke, Nguyen gave a heavy sigh and folded the five pieces of paper into thirds. Almost on cue, the force field momentarily vanished allowing Dr. Kakua to step into the compartment with an envelope in his hand. Nguyen took the envelope and labeled it with the phrase DO NOT OPEN UNTIL STARDATE 75762.3.

The trio were jokingly mystified by the rediscovered technology before Kakua stuffed the envelope and promptly left sickbay for Nguyen's quarters. The surgeon had muttered something off hand about getting a fresh DNA sample from Nguyen's quarters. Even though Tereshkova saw the edges of the envelope holding the biggest contraband in the galaxy, she paid it no mind. She knew the less she knew, the better if things ever got sideways.

As Tereshkova continued running her algorithm through the ship's computer, Nguyen rested on his bio-bed inside the quarantine compartment. He fought waves of exhaustion after the several minutes he spent scribing his own hopefully debunked prophecy.

Moments later, Edala returned to his side with a cloth for his forehead. Nguyen responded with a heartfelt smile and nod. "Tell me about what is going to happen in the next few days, Kenny." Edala brushed the cloth over his forehead.

Nguyen shrugged before explaining that the Romulan squadron would honor the 24 hour deadline and punctually open fire on the Destiny. The Destiny lasted 30 minutes in combat before losing antimatter containment. Minutes before the warp core breach, Ukweli gave the order to abandon ship before ramming her exploding vessel into Admiral I'ban's flagship. She had hoped eliminating the squadron's commanding officer would allow for more rational factions of the Romulan squadron to take over and diffuse the situation. She was wrong.

"Only you and I were able to get aboard an escape pod from this deck. We could've fit two more but the ejection sequence got us out before we could take on more passengers." He cocked his head in the direction of Kakua and Tereshkova. "Joe and Svetlana were badly wounded in a conduit explosion and were rushed to a special medical pod…" Nguyen's lips sank in a heartbroken frown. "but they never made it to the planet's surface."

Nguyen bit his lip to stifle some tears in his eyes before speaking again. "You and I land on an island in the tropical region of the planet. As you know, we stay there for two weeks, before we are rescued by the U.S.S. Beijing. The planet's radiation made the rescue process a million times more difficult."

Edala nodded her understanding before asking another set of questions involving the specific escape pod they used, the quickest way to get there and what to do if she needed to carry Nguyen's failing body.

Nguyen chuckled before stifling a coughing fit. "I will use every ounce of strength to get off this ship under my own power, if and when the time comes." He then gave the specific name of the escape pod and directions to get there from the compartment. As Edala's taut muscles relaxed in her chair, Nguyen followed up his comment. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions, now?"

Edala gently nodded and looked at Nguyen coaxingly. "Why me, Edala?" Nguyen stared at Edala with curiosity. "Why are you investing so much time into taking care of me? Is it because of the pon farr thing?"

Edala smiled in embarrassment before brushing a few stray hairs back from her face. "No, Kenny, it's not that."

Nguyen curved his lips up in an expectant smile. "Then what is it? If you devote too much time into getting my old-as-dirt body off this ship, there's a good chance you won't escape the destruction yourself."

Edala stared at Nguyen with care before saying, "Because you are the first person in a long time to honestly show me compassion. You genuinely care about me. Yesterday, from my perspective, I was forced to murder my sister. They used my recessive birth defect as an excuse but I know it was really a conspiracy by the Praetor to punish my father for not blindly following his policies."

Nguyen frowned in sympathy before Edala continued. "Then, I inexplicably find myself in a dingy cavern on some unknown planet where two Starfleet officers try to detain me like I'm some sort of prisoner."

She took a heavy sigh before glancing at the force field. "As much as I have taken a liking to your Dr. Kakua now, I originally despised him. If he had his way, he would've kept me sedated like a feral beast. It was only your intervention which prevented that from happening."

Edala then placed Nguyen's hands in both of hers. "Where I come from secret motives shroud every action. Nothing is ever as it seems and ulterior motives always serve one's own cunning self-interest. But, you, Kenny, you have shown me in what little time we have had together that there is no deception. You are a kind and honorable man who is currently in pain."

She then gave a heavy sigh and looked to the force field while mentally mapping an escape route. "I would just like to repay you for all the kindness you've given me. And…" she placed two fingers on Nguyen's right pointer and middle finger. "We can see what happens from there."

Nguyen smiled back. "Thank you, Edala. If everything goes like it did before, we will become fast friends. Only in that regard am I looking forward to History repeating itself. Although…" His chest shuddered in a massive coughing fit before he could collect himself. "...given my current condition, I don't think the next two weeks are going to happen exactly the way I remember."

Edala smiled as the force field vanished revealing Dr. Kakua and Tereshkova standing on the threshold. The ship's surgeon was holding a hypospray in one hand and a canister of green liquid in the other. The ship's science officer clutched two isolinear chips in her hand. Dr. Kakua somberly looked at both Edala and Nguyen before speaking. "It's time."


	16. Episode 2, Chapter 8: One Last Gamble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the Destiny crew appears to have unraveled the mystery of the Wakai civilization and the Na'kua.

Chapter 8: One Last Gamble

The usually spacious cavern that made up Transporter Room 1 was cramped with a small platoon of personnel. For starters, Dr. Kakua and Lieutenant Commander Tereshkova hovered over the transporter controls as they installed their new software into the equipment. With every push of a button, they relayed their findings to Captain Ukweli who stood between them and the transporter. They clarified that the injuries sustained by the away team were medical in nature. There was no transposition between the Away Team of the present and their alternate selves. Therefore restoring Picard, Nguyen and Edala would not contaminate the future.

As the Captain was briefed on the details of Kakua and Tereshkova's cure, Ensign Picard, Edala and Nguyen were mobbed by their own personal pair of nurses. Every second involved the three transformed individuals being poked and prodded with hyposprays and medical scanners in hopes that they could preserve the details of the impending successful operation for posterity.

After her briefing reached its end, Ukweli nodded her approval and signaled for Kakua and Tereshkova to briefly inform the trio about the cure and its risks.

At this point, Tereshkova stepped in. The trio would participate in a modified teleportation process where every one of their molecules would be converted to energy and sent through the transporter buffers. During this stage, the subatomic particles which were entangled by the radiation would be isolated and replaced with unaltered particles from DNA samples housed in sickbay. At that point, they would be reconstructed hopefully as their original selves. The plan had a 74 percent probability of success for all parties involved and a 65 percent chance the humans would survive. As a Romulan, Edala had a 57 percent chance.

The last part of the briefing caused the trio to noticeably flinch prompting Dr. Kakua's to give his assurances. "All you need to do is stand on the transporter platform, relax, and try not to think too much. Too much synaptic activity might impede our success. Also, don't worry about the statistics, if there's even the slightest chance of trouble, we'll abort the procedure. Your patterns will be restored and you will materialize as you are now. No pilikia."

Tereshkova placed her hands over the transporter controls. "To be clear, if we have to abort, you'll simply continue to be missing several decades of memory or painfully infirmed. Not to mention the squadron of angry Romulans outside will probably destroy the ship, so I guess maybe there's a little pilikia, Doctor."

Nguyen grunted as two nurses helped him upright. With the steroids beginning to wear off, he awkwardly struggled to mount the transporter platform. Picard and Edala offered their help. Nguyen stood in the foremost pad with Picard and Edala flanking him on the left and right respectively.

After confirming that they were ready, Dr. Kakua turned to Tereshkova and activated the screening subroutine in the transporter buffers. As the computer chirped that it accepted the new programming, Dr. Kakua turned to Ukweli and gave a thumbs up.

Ukweli turned to the trio and saluted them for their bravery in receiving an untested cure. Finally, she gave the command to energize the transporter.

The familiar whoosh of white and blue light flooded the transporter chamber. In a second, Picard, Edala and Nguyen's bodies melted into columns of energy and suddenly vanished. A series of chirps and flashing lights appeared on Tereshkova's control panel as she monitored the application of the cure.

"We're looking good so far," Tereshkova announced as she inspected the DNA reconstruction process on her digital screen. "Picard is responding extremely well. So far, 80 percent of his DNA has been successfully filtered and reconstructed. Far quicker than we predicted. He'll be ready to re-materialize in only a few seconds." The left center transporter pad began to glow in anticipation of rebuilding the Federation ambassador at an atomic level.

Dr. Kakua pulled up Edala's DNA profile and studied the stream of bits passing by the screen intently. Suddenly, small sections of the screen lit up in a yellow glow as sirens began to signal. "The cells around Edala's medulla and limbic lobes are collapsing. The entangled particles are rejecting the replacement ones. I'm cutting in manually to compensate." Dr. Kakua then pulled up another screen showing DNA from the ship's cold storage where he began copying and pasting key sequences into the transporter's central computer.

Another chorus of sirens caused Tereshkova to pull up Nguyen's DNA profile. "Nguyen's is experiencing similar troubles. His pons, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex are all rejecting the cure." Before she could follow suit with Kakua, both Edala and Nguyen's transporter profiles were engulfed in red light. Critical sirens began chattering in discordant harmony.

Tereshkova swore in Russian before announcing that the patterns were beginning to degrade. If something was not done in the next five seconds, both Nguyen and Edala would be lost. Kakua furiously slammed his fist on the transporter control before reluctantly announcing. "Abort the procedure and restore the patterns."

A dejected Tereshkova and Kakua hung their heads in defeat as the computer complied with the command. As the transporter chamber began to glow, Ukweli calmly walked to her two officers to comfort them. "You made the right decision. They're still alive. We can conduct another trial if time allows."

Kakua frowned and tightened his lip as Tereshkova peered into the transporter chamber. A gust of wind accompanied by three columns of blue and white light reconstructed Picard, Edala and Nguyen at an atomic level.

This time, Picard resembled his former self. The 92 year old ambassador stood triumphantly in the chamber, his face etched with the same confident expression his younger self carried into the chamber. To everyone's collective dismay, Edala's hands trembled as the biological urges of her pon farr asserted themselves again. Nguyen's decrepit body shuddered under its own weight immediately after materializing prompting three nurses to catch him before he collapsed.

With their tricorders open and activated, Kakua and Tereshkova rushed to the transporter platform to scan Edala and Nguyen. As preliminary data populated his digital screen, the ship's surgeon began to give instructions for Nguyen and Edala to be returned to sickbay.

Before the nurses could comply, Captain Ukweli raised her hand which silenced the room. "Actually, Doctor, with your permission, I need you and the away team to report to the conference room. It won't be long. As we approach our final hour before the deadline, we need a unified strategy."

The Destiny's conference room mirrored many of its Starfleet predecessors. The nucleus of the oblong chamber was a long table of polished slate. In its center stood a holographic projector capable of displaying any necessary model from a map of the quadrant to the components of a single subatomic particle in minute detail.

In short order, the table was attended by the Destiny's senior staff and some extra guests. Captain Ukweli sat at the head of the table with her hands hovering over the projector's controls. Ambassador Picard sat to her right and Commander Sanchez to her left. Dr. Kakua sat opposite Al-Muzud with Tereshkova to his left. Across from Tereshkova sat Edala with Nguyen sitting next to her.

"Since our first attempt for a cure was a mitigated failure, we now find ourselves confronted by a series of unpleasant choices." Ukweli declared before activating the holographic projector. A likeness of the planet materialized in the center of the table with a replica of the Destiny and the Romulan flotilla orbiting around it.

"I intend to have exactly one hour at our disposal at the end of this meeting." Ukweli turned to each of the people at the table in turn. "In that time, we need to execute a series of ironclad strategies if we even hope to walk away from this."

Ukweli turned to Tereshkova and Kakua. "Given the data you saw during our first trial with the cure, what do you think went wrong?"

Kakua shrugged before responding. "In one way, the cure worked spectacularly well. We sought out to restore 71 lost years to a human host and it did. Right down to his geriatric metabolism." He gestured to Picard, highlighting his older, more distinguished appearance before stating, "No offense." Picard shook his head sharply indicating none was taken.

Kakua nodded respectfully at Picard before Tereshkova spoke. "I agree with Kakua. The application of the cure on Picard worked faster than our estimates. The only reason it didn't work for Nguyen and Edala is because they must have been affected by two different radiation signatures which caused completely distinct cases."

Dr. Kakua interjected. "A Romulan who needs to recover two decades of lost time and a human who needs to recover his youth by shedding 91 years worth of memories and exhausted cells."

Ukweli turned to Kakua. "What would you need before you start another trial?"

Dr. Kakua raised his hands in befuddlement. "I don't want to say we have to go back to the drawing board, but in the case of finding a Romulan cure, we just might. We were foolishly hoping that because Romulan and human nervous systems were fairly similar, they'd react similarly to our cure. We were wrong. Romulans have a higher concentration of copper in their genetic structure compared to humans. That concentration apparently is so high that we have to add an extra variable into our calculations which all but invalidates our previous findings."

Tereshkova added a helpful addendum. "I might be able to juxtapose our data which we used to cure Picard with signature sets which interact with copper."

Ukweli turned to Dr. Kakua. "What does 'going back to the drawing board' actually mean, Doctor?"

Kakua glanced at Tereshkova before responding. "It means I feel I need to go back to the planet's surface. I need to gather data from one of the I'haus which is a radiation source and screen for signatures which react to copper, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Then we would need to repeat the process of isolating signatures."

Tereshkova added another helpful interjection. "I have an idea for a device we can put next to an I'hau." Tereshkova then explained that the devices would house Romulan DNA from Edala's tissue sample. The devices then would transmit a series of signals mimicking the mantras given by Ea and Kali'o.

Ukweli raised her eyebrow. "Why do the mantras matter?"

Tereshkova gave an exasperated shrug. "It's a working theory, but the mantras might impact specific subatomic qualities of the radiation. For example, at their source the energy exists in all possible configurations -and trust me it's an unthinkably big number. In quantum mechanics, we call this a superposition. These superpositions collapse into one distinct configuration once they're observed. In the case of the radiation, a specific kind of mantra may cause the superposition to collapse into one distinct signature."

Kakua interjected his own theory. "Or maybe the mantras are command codes for technology beyond our comprehension. The sophisticated levels of quantum entanglement I've studied suggest that this radiation is controlled by something in a higher dimension like the Q Continuum."

Ukweli turned to Picard. "What do you think, Ambassador?"

Picard cocked his head to the side ambivalently. "The Q Continuum tends to be more conspicuous with their involvement in human affairs. At least the Q I know."

After a few seconds of fidgeting in his seat, Nguyen finally spoke up. "It's not the Q Continuum. But you're right, Doctor, it is a vast intelligence from a higher dimension."

Tereshkova turned to Nguyen incredulously. "So you're saying these Na'kua, the supposed deities of these superstitious indigenous people, are real?"

Nguyen nodded with military bearing. "Yes ma'am. I believe they are a superior intelligence to our own and we need to make contact with them to resolve this problem."

Nguyen felt like all eyes from the conference room were dissecting his weathered face in the several seconds after his comment. After a painstakingly long moment, Ukweli calmly responded. "Cadet, I want you to be extremely careful in how you answer this question. Feel free to retract your statement even, if you want. How do you know that?"

Nguyen turned to Kakua for support before facing the Destiny's commanding officer. "Because I spent the better part of this morning on the planet with a young Wakai who told me their whole history. The Na'kua are everywhere on the planet and yet nowhere at the same time. They emerge in our reality through spaces within space. All of this could be references to higher dimensions where the contradictory constraints of our reality can be reconciled."

Before Ukweli gave any follow up questions, Kakua's eyes lit up with an epiphany. "I think the cadet is right." He turned to Tereshkova in astonishment. " I had a conversation with the Wakai elders down on the planet. They told me that we needed to 'complete the ritual of manawa'ole.' I didn't pay attention to it at the time because they said we would be destroyed if we didn't. The Wakai were more concerned about our destruction than their own."

Ukweli raised an eyebrow. "So, how do you suggest we complete this ritual, Doctor?"

Kakua nervously turned to Tereshkova before speaking. "We need to confirm this with the Wakai to be sure…" He wrung his hands apprehensively before completing his thought. "but it might involve one of us returning to the cavern with the radiation as an emissary so the Wakai can facilitate formal contact with the Na'kua intelligence."

Tereshkova's eyes widened exponentially. "Are you serious, Doctor?! Need I remind you that the first time our people visited that chamber their nervous systems were warped beyond recognition?" She tried to empathetically qualify her outburst. "I know we're stretched a little thin because of the triple shift we've been pulling but you must admit that idea is a little eccentric."

Kakua nodded understandingly to Tereshkova before clarifying his point. "The first time our people visited that chamber, they participated in a similar ritual to what the Wakai's own leaders participate when choosing their leaders. It may not have been the full ritual of manawa'ole. It might have been only part of it."

Picard nodded understandingly. "You may have a point, Doctor. Our only account of the ritual is only from the Ferengi who visited this planet and their priorities don't exactly align with ours. They may have experienced the first half of the ritual, saw that their bodies were rejuvenated, and left before completing it."

Picard volunteered to make contact and Kakua agreed to monitor him during the process.

Tereshkova turned to Picard to plead her case. "Ambassador, with respect, if you go down to that cavern again, there is a likely chance you will be reduced to a pool of rudimentary chemicals. There's no coming back from that."

Picard gave a labored groan before looking out the window at the flotilla of Romulan vessels. "Agreed, but there is an equally likely chance that I and many other members of this crew will be killed in a violent space battle if we cannot resolve this radiation conundrum. Besides, if I am to be reduced to primitive proteins, I can't imagine it'll hurt worse than being stabbed in the chest by an angry Nausicaan. From my perspective that's happened to me twice in the last 24 hours."

He turned to Ukweli and asked for permission to accompany Kakua to the planet. "I will make contact with the Wakai elders and confirm our theory." Picard gave a questioning sigh before continuing. "If they concur, I will proceed in communicating with the Na'kua under standard First Contact protocols. If our theory is incorrect, I can still take the opportunity to warn the Wakai about the impending battle. That way, we can limit the amount of collateral damage our battle will inflict on them."

"Permission granted," Ukweli finally responded. She turned to Sanchez and Al-Muzud. "Speaking of which, gentlemen, what are our chances concerning combat with the Romulans?"

Al-Muzud responded. "Thanks to Picard's insights, I have formulated a strategy where we can manipulate our warp signature to fool the Romulans that we are in several places at once. I have also found some key weaknesses on the flagship which might render the ship disabled if exploited."

Sanchez sourly shook his head. "Que va! You're talking about disabling one ship. There is an entire squadron out there with orders to attack us if we don't let the civilian ships land. Even if you successfully disable the flagship, there are still 23 other vessels that will tear us to pieces. We won't even last an hour in that kind of conflict."

"You'll only last 30 minutes," Nguyen muttered under his breath.

Ukweli responded. "If we disable I'ban's ship, there's a chance the fellow Romulan vessels will stand down. Given what we have done for them after the destruction of their world, I refuse to believe that all those vessels will destroy us."

At this point, Edala spoke up. "Do not let your Federation optimism get the better of you, Captain. In my culture, if a superior cannot carry out his duties, that's an opportunity for advancement. The disabling or destruction of I'ban flagship may encourage his subordinates to carry out his final orders as proof of their loyalty to the cause."

Picard then concluded Edala's point. "And although Praetor Hei'sha would categorically condemn such aggressive actions, the hardline members of his government would commend the squadron thereby making those militant factions stronger…" Picard then uneasily looked to Edala and Ukweli in turn. "...and put our alliance with the Romulans on even shakier ground."

Ukweli gave a heavy sigh. "So does allowing the Romulans to land without a cure to the radiation."

She then turned to each of her officers in turn. "Sanchez, I want you to consider reconfiguring the shields with metaphasic qualities. Edala can help you with that. Al-Muzud, please contact the U.S.S. Beijing and inform them of our situation. They may be three days away but maybe they can help us, even if it means rescuing a shipwrecked crew. Tereshkova, you have fifteen minutes to construct your devices before sending them down with Picard and Kakua. I want you to evaluate the telemetry up here with our faster computers. If we can isolate a cure for the Romulans before time runs out, all of this can be avoided."

As the Destiny's senior officers rose to their feet, Ukweli gave one final word of encouragement. "I know we have been stretched to exhaustion over the last 24 hours but we must double our efforts if we are going to survive this. The knowledge is in this room, I know we can overcome this."

The first two people out of the conference room were Picard and Kakua. As Picard passed through the open doors, he told Dr. Kakua. "Did you add anything else to that radiation cure, Doctor? Right now I'm feeling I could beat you in a footrace."

Hokulea 4

As the blue sun began its descent along the western horizon of Hokulea 4, the skies twinkled with the outlines of several dozen starships. Whether the heavens would ignite in a blaze of cosmic fire depended on the detachment of Starfleet personnel along the coastline beneath them.

With combat efficiency, a squad of specialists hefted the four columns that made up Tereshkova's new device. After they installed the green test tubes of Romulan DNA, each column was planted at one of the cardinal points around the glowing blue stones where Crewman Marsh had been molecularly eviscerated. Extreme care was taken to make sure the new devices were electronically inert to avoid triggering accidental radiation blasts. Finally, the specialists reconvened at the beachhead and signaled for transport. The four tritanium devices flickered to life as the specialists dissolved in their transporter beams.

A series of lightning strikes began to lash out at Tereshkova's synthetic spires with rapid intensity. With each blast, the Romulan tissue changed configuration. The information was sent back to Tereshkova who inspected the changes and then remotely modified the devices' outgoing signal to prompt another burst of hopefully different radiation.

As a miniature thunderstorm broke out in the nearby jungle, Kakua and Picard stood in front of Ea and Kali'o to explain their epiphany. Ea's eyes lit up as Kali'o nodded his approval. "You are correct." Kali'o explained. "You must commune with the Na'kua before the Romulans open fire on your vessel."

Kakua allowed himself a smile as he turned to Ea. "Has this happened twice from your perspective?" Ea nodded cheerfully. "Which is good because if it didn't, it would be time to choose a new 'upuna. Having the skies rain fire and molten metal is far worse than mismanaging a famine."

In a matter of seconds, Picard and Kakua found themselves following Ea down the shadowy passageway towards the Aina'kua. With every step, Kakua inspected Picard and inoculated him for every cosmic radiation he could anticipate. After he injected Picard with the final booster, Ea and Picard arrived at the shadowy cavern of Aina'kua.

Ea placed her torch on the base in the cavern's center. Trickles of blue light began to travel from the center of the chamber like before. Kakua unfolded his tricorder and confirmed that the new batch of bio-medical nanoprobes he had injected into Picard's bloodstream were transmitting.

As Ea stood expectantly in the center of the chamber, Kakua turned to Picard and shook his hand. "This is the end of the line for me, Ambassador. If you don't mind, I'll be monitoring your interdimensional conference from a safe distance. This time, I'll examine the biometric data more closely. Maybe that will help us get a cure if we need one."

Picard responded to the gesture with a singular emphatic shake of the young surgeon's arm. The last thing he told Kakua was that he admired Kakua and Tereshkova's work ethic and he intended to recommend a formal commendation to Starfleet Command on their behalf.

As Picard stepped into the aina'kua for a second time, Dr. Kakua briskly made his way out of the cave. With every step his eyes were focused on his tricorder's telemetry. Not soon after, Kakua noticed a new sound drowning out the echoes of his boots against the rocky ground. It was Ea's chant. Every piercing syllable she uttered was accompanied by stronger waves of blue energy.

As the dull white rock of the cave started to glisten with a sapphire veneer, Kakua doubled his pace. He feverishly balanced his attention between his tricorder readouts and the curvature of the cave's walls to avoid a painful collision.

Suddenly, at the conclusion of Ea's chant, a massive cascade of blue light and wind funneled its way out of the cave with such force that it cast Kakua to the ground. Brushing off the numbing pain on his right side, Kakua staggered to his feet and checked his tricorder.

His eyes widened in horror as Picard's tricorder readings all appeared blank. As far as his instruments were concerned, Picard was no longer even on the planet. In one sudden burst of panic, Kakua made his way back towards the cavern. This time, his eyes were trained on the tricorder's radiation meter. If the levels got even a degree above normal, he'd turn around. But to his staggering surprise, radiation levels were normal.

By the time Kakua returned to the aina'kua, he saw Ea slowly make her way from the center of the chamber. As the tricorder had registered, Picard was nowhere to be seen. After confirming that the torch was still ignited, Ea began her calm exit from the cavern.

With frenzied panic, Kakua met the Wakai elder halfway through her journey from the chamber. "Where is Picard? What happened to him?"

"He is with the Na'kua now." Ea's voice carried a serenity that confused Kakua more than it calmed him. Finally, after collecting himself, Kakua issued his response. "How long will he be gone? Will he come back?"

"Time has no meaning for the Na'kua. Picard will return in their time and in a manner of their choosing." Ea reassured Kakua by gently patting his shoulder with her right webbed hand.

Seething frustration began to boil under Kakua's skin. He waited for Ea to fall out of earshot before making his response. "Sometime in the next fifteen minutes would be ideal."

He signaled the Destiny and informed Ukweli of the situation.

Ukweli's response was unflappable. "Doctor, I need you back aboard this ship. After relaying your new data to Tereshkova, I need you to implement combat procedures. Organize your staff for triage. The Commander can run point concerning the cure, you need to take care of our wounded."

Kakua acknowledged and a second later, he was whisked back to the Destiny in a column of blue and white light.


	17. Episode 2, Chapter 9: The Vast Intelligence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Picard ascends the dimensional realm where he comes in contact with an undiscovered intelligence and a dearly departed friend.

Chapter 9: The Vast Intelligence

With Ea's final word in the chant, a cold breeze brushed against Picard's face. The vibrant blue energy trickled down from the central torch until every stalagmite in the chamber was ignited with a strange blue fire. Suddenly, with the last word, a blast of blue light enveloped everything in the chamber.

At that moment, Picard felt a strange dizzying sensation similar to a transporter beam. When he finally regained his bearings, he found himself inside a cloud of blue energy. The torch and the stalagmites around him seemed to have dissolved into the vapor surrounding him. Ea was gone.

When he turned around for the exit of the cavern, he saw what could only be described as a kaleidoscope of time. Immediately behind him, he saw a small, hazy depiction of Ea having a conversation with Kakua about where Picard had gone. Picard likened the experience to spying on a conversation in another room by peering through a keyhole. Adjacent to that discussion was a similar rendering of the same conversation except Tereshkova and Kakua were having the same conversation with Ea.

As Picard widened his gaze, he saw an infinite number of renditions of the same conversation. Virtually every member of the Destiny crew was featured in at least one version of the fateful conversation. On the periphery of the quantum kaleidoscope, Picard swore he saw a team of Romulans having a discussion with Ea. With every glance, the versions merged together or split into their own distinct account.

Once Picard finished marveling at the ebb and flow of reality behind him, he turned ahead and saw a similar variegated depiction of the future. Immediately before him he saw two events. One depicted the Destiny on fire and jettisoning a small fleet of escape pods, many of which were swatted away by Romulan disruptor fire.

The other immediate future portrayed the Destiny in close orbit to the planet with a portable Ferengi manufacturing module close to its side. The module was a cubical cage outfitted with a myriad of snaking cables and cutting lasers. A series of habitation units were gently descending from the cage like clockwork, each guided to special destinations of the surface by special thrusters on every surface.

As Picard widened his gaze, he saw more possible futures, including some he had personally experienced. He saw the U.S.S. Pasteur penetrating the turbulent white energy of an anti-time anomaly. He saw a small shuttle outfitted with gleaming silver armor being chased by a massive Klingon battlecruiser. He overheard its pilot give a command to open a temporal rift to the Delta Quadrant.

Between these futures, he saw himself dressed in a civilian suit and tie having an angry debate with a journalist concerning the "failure" of the Romulan supernova evacuation. He grimaced as he overheard some of the details his possible future self had divulged concerning Starfleet abandoning its ideals and his resignation in protest. Picard frowned bitterly and silently pledged that he would never let this crisis escalate to that point.

After several moments of observing all time at once, Picard focused his gaze on the turquoise aqueous structure that gave him this new perspective on time. At first, he described the force around him as a cloud but upon closer inspection that definition began to change. As he peered into the blue haze, he saw collections of small luminous strings which branched out in complex networks. At first they resembled a geodesic sphere. Then, more layers seemed to appear, reminding Picard of a brain scan Dr. Crusher had shown him back when he was aboard the Enterprise.

Finally, with his bearings regained, Picard calmly stood in the center of the consciousness that held him and issued a greeting.

The response came back in a thunderous voice. Every synapse in the giant intelligence that surrounded him was illuminated in cadence with every syllable. "Hello, again, Ambassador Picard."

Picard frowned in visible confusion. "Again?"

"Forgive us," the voice replied. "but from our dimensional perspective, we have had this conversation about fourteen billion times already, albeit with different versions of yourself."

Picard smiled and nodded understandingly before he continued. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, you know my name but I do not know how to address you."

The voice replied. "We are the Na'kua, we are a cooperative of extra dimensional beings hailing from every corner of the omniverse."

Picard raised an eyebrow in response. "The omniverse?"

The Na'kua then explained that the omniverse was the complete collection of all possible realities. Whereas human beings and similar forms of "rudimentary intelligent life" are confined to the multiverse due to dimensional restrictions, the omniverse contains vastly complex domains where life by multiverse standards cannot exist because of how elemental forces manifested in those domains during their creation.

Picard nodded. He considered asking a question about their possible kinship with the Q Continuum but he decided a different approach. "If we cannot properly visit your domains, how is it possible for you to visit ours?"

The Na'kua then explained that when all reality was formed during the Big Bang, a special combination of quantum fluctuations created a dimensional gateway. That gateway funneled exotic matter from the Na'kua's numerous domains until enough mass accumulated to form the core for the planet Hokulea 4.

"In all of your realities, the planet you call Hokulea 4 exists." The Nakua intelligence explained. "Through the dimensional gateway in its core, we can observe every point of the domain you call time. We can travel forwards, backwards, and even sideways."

Picard wrinkled his nose inquisitively. "Sideways?"

The Na'kua responded. "Yes, Ambassador, sideways. Allow us to demonstrate."

Suddenly, a figure slowly began to materialize from the shadows. He came from a distant corner of the past. The first thing Picard noticed was the stride with which the man walked. After the figure's third step, Picard realized it wasn't a man at all. A smile erupted on Picard's face as he saw the figure's bleached synthetic skin and the ambassador's chest gave out a chuckle of joy when he saw the figure's golden eyes.

The figure spoke first. "Greetings, Captain. I was not expecting to see you here."

Picard spent a moment to appraise the resurrected Commander Data. But upon closer inspection of Data's uniform, Picard realized that the term "commander" no longer applied. The android was dressed in the silver and black standard issue uniform he wore at the time of his death in Picard's reality but his insignias were dramatically different. Instead of a gold collar, the android donned a crimson red with four golden pips.

After finishing his assessment, Picard finally addressed his long deceased friend. "Captain Data? Well, look at you."

The android tilted his head in response to Picard's jubilant greeting. "I am pleased to see you, Captain. Especially considering twenty years have elapsed since your untimely death."

Picard dropped his jaw in astonishment. "My death?"

Captain Data then explained that he hailed from a reality in which Shinzon of Remus abducted his Captain Picard and successfully completed the transfusion necessary to keep the young Picard clone alive. "I regret to inform you that my Captain Picard did not survive the procedure however the Praetor's prolonged life was -shall we say- short-lived." Data then explained that after the revitalized Shinzon's successful Thalaron attack on Earth and Vulcan, Shinzon was deposed by his own military and executed for crimes against the Empire.

Picard stepped back in shock. After inspecting the unraveling threads of his android friend's uniform, Picard asked about the condition of Starfleet in his friend's universe.

"Shortly before Shinzon's deposement, we conditionally surrendered to the Romulan Star Empire. One of the conditions was that displaced human and vulcan refugees were entitled to their own planet for resettlement. Shinzon's replacement, Praetor Hei'sha, proposed the planet Hokulea 4 as a possible site." Data then turned to survey the walls of energy that surrounded him. "I intend to give the Praetor an empirical report on the possible harm this planet's radiation may have on future human residents."

"That is why you came here, Captain, but we have an offer for you…" The booming Na'kua voice told Data.

The Na'kua explained that they were prepared to send Data back to Hokulea 4 but decades before the moment he visited the cavern. Data would then hail and board a nearby Section 31 vessel mapping the Neutral Zone. Captain Data would then order the vessel to Romulus. During that time Captain Picard and Data's former self would be undercover on the planet while investigating Ambassador Spock's possible defection. The Na'kua explained that Picard's capture on this mission allowed the Romulans to obtain the necessary DNA for making Shinzon of Remus. If Captain Data and his Section 31 compatriots could intercept the DNA before the Romulans could use it, a new reality would be created in which Shinzon of Remus was never born. Consequently, the genocidal campaign which brought the android captain to this moment would never occur.

Captain Data dropped his eyes and inspected the floor in deep contemplation. "If I agreed to your proposal, I would be interfering with the natural course of events and thus violating my oath to uphold the Prime Directive."

"In return, the universe from which you originated will collapse. The brutish and savage reality you and your people have unjustly endured will be erased. They will be free to choose a better future separated from all others in its own dimensional realm."

Captain Data cocked his head. "It is a tempting offer."

"Billions of lives will be saved who need not have been murdered. They will live in freedom while their descendants currently live as slaves." The Na'kua proclaimed.

Picard scowled as Data continued weighing the consequences of his decision. "Data, you can't possibly be considering this."

Data looked squarely at Picard in response. "Captain, while this intelligence does have unorthodox and questionable methods, its goal is correct. To quote the Vulcan maxim, 'the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.' A single individual violating moral laws to uphold the universal rights of others is acceptable under certain circumstances. For example, the human psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg attributed such actions as…"

Picard smiled and stopped the android's diatribe with the palm of his hand. "Data, I have sorely missed you and your scholarly lectures. The biggest burden of command is to balance a captain's personal convictions with the well-being of those under their care."

Picard soberingly glanced at Captain Data's uniform and traced the path along the quantum kaleidoscope to his origin. "And judging by the uncharacteristically paltry condition of your uniform, I know you are in a desperate situation."

Picard then gave a smile and patted Data on the shoulder. "Give the word, Captain."

Captain Data tilted his head in bewildered confusion. "Sir, I am puzzled. Which word should I give?"

Picard stifled a nostalgic laugh. "Make the decision and I'll support you either way."

Captain Data struggled for the next few moments in figuring out an appropriate way to address the vast intelligence that surrounded him. Finally, after simper and a shrug, Data addressed the left wall. "I accept your proposal,"

Suddenly a gust of air churned the blue wall of energy behind Data into a tunnel with a tendril that reached backwards into the undulating waves of past events. "Pass through here and accomplish your goal." The Na'kua declared.

Captain Data turned to face the tunnel. Before he took his first step into the passageway, he stopped himself to take his leave of his former Captain. "It has been very pleasant to see you again, Captain."

Picard smiled and shook the android's hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Data. I hope to see you again soon… in some form."

As Data began walking into the maw of the time tunnel, he stopped himself one final time. Looking over his shoulder, Data gave one final pleasantry to his captain. "I hope you have much better luck with my brother, B-4, in your universe than we had in mine."

Picard nodded reverently. "We are doing our best, Data. Adieu, mon ami."

The instant Data's body completely entered the passageway, the aperture instantly closed. In a brilliant flash of light Data was catapulted across the frontier of time to his destination in the distant past.

Picard spared a few moments to trace the path traveled by his deceased friend before speaking. "It was a noble gesture you offered him."

The Na'kua spoke. "We have dedicated ourselves to tending to your multiverse the way a gardener tends to their flowers. The 'pleasing' ones which promote cooperation and intelligence are encouraged to grow. The frightfully grotesque realities are pruned to the best of our abilities."

Picard raised an eyebrow. "So you're not omnipotent?"

"Hailing from higher domains has both its advantages and disadvantages. We cannot traverse your reality with their impunity, like our neighbors in the Q Continuum do." The Na'kua then explained that since the Q Continuum was adjacent to the multiverse, its inhabitants had the requisite dimensional qualities to exercise their seemingly omnipotent powers. "Since we hail from exceedingly higher dimensions, we do not have the necessary qualities to traverse your realities in the same way. It would be like a human trying to actively communicate with the characters in an ancient comic strip. "

Picard nodded his understanding before the Na'kua continued. "Our powers are vast but painfully limited. We can control the very foundation of reality on this planet's surface but if you left orbit, you wouldn't even know we existed."

Picard stroked his chin pensively as he calculated his next question. "So you need the inhabitants of our reality to carry out your wishes?"

The Na'kua responded with a booming yes. "Your visit was an undertaking 6 billion years in the making." The Na'kua explained that the Wakai civilization was the seventh draft of a species the Na'kua had attempted to design for their planet. "The first six were ghastly in their brutality." The Na'kua explained. "We had no qualms with reducing them to amino acids when they started fighting each other."

They created the Wakai but encouraged them to stay on the planet by providing them with everything they could ever want. "We are rather fond of the Wakai but they are painfully delicate lifeforms." The Na'kua matter of factly explained. "If they leave the planet, they would not enjoy the powers we bestow upon them and would suffer immensely." Picard almost commented on the fact that the Na'kua spoke of the Wakai the way a human may speak of a beloved pet.

Therefore, the Wakai were planetbound for their six billion year existence. The unfortunate drawback of that decision was the Na'kua's foreknowledge that the Federation would not be able to visit the Wakai due to their limitations as a pre-warp civilizations.

However, the Na'kua had a plan. When a Ferengi freighter entered the star system for possible luxury items, the Na'kua lured them to Hokulea 4 with a blast of metaphasic radiation. The Ferengi's contact with the Wakai provided the necessary loophole for the Federation to visit the planet thirty years afterwards in the wake of the Hobus Supernova.

"We rewarded the Ferengi for their troubles by restoring their youth to them but we chose not to reveal the future to them. That kind of knowledge in their hands could be disastrous." The Na'kua explained. "But we decided your Federation possessed both the means and the discipline to properly apply the knowledge of the future. Then, when your Away Team visited us, we revealed that knowledge to you."

A voice then spoke at Picard's feet. "However, we do apologize that your physical bodies were changed in the process. We always try to exercise extreme care when using our powers in your reality. There was a one in a billion chance your bodies would be altered by the radiation. Your universe happened to be the unfortunate one."

Picard tilted his head downwards in confusion. "So, why did you give that knowledge to Cadet Nguyen? My Romulan aide, Edala, has a much longer lifespan. That poor cadet is in critical condition from infirmities shouldn't even have."

"We are restricted by the variables of your reality. A being in your parochial universe cannot see the future of a life that is not theirs." The Na'kua explained. "The young human was chosen because he is the only one of you who will live to see the final destruction of your galaxy. You and Edala are not long for your universe." A tendril of light flashed out from the cloud and highlighted a vague area in front of Picard's version of the past. Picard wondered if this gesture symbolized the date of his and Edala's death but he decided not to ask.

"The details of your death and the unfortunate demise of your universe are exceedingly frustrating for us because they all could have easily been avoided with the proper foreknowledge." The Na'kua's lights churned as it spoke with undaunted conviction. "Therefore we gave it to you."

Picard nodded as thoughtfully as he could before turning to address the cloudy wall in front of him. "As much as we appreciate the gesture, we cannot accept the information you have given us. It violates our most sacred laws."

A discordant chatter of voices erupted from every synapse in the vast intelligence. Picard even overheard one voice say, "Oh bah! He said 'sacred laws,' this is like the Mirror Universe all over again."

As the chorus of voices slowly ebbed, Picard elaborated on his position. "Our laws prohibit us from interfering in the natural order of events because our society is built on discovering new phenomena and understanding how they operate."

The Na'kua delivered their rebuttal with a single voice to Picard's left. "Your colleague hailed from the same society and yet he accepted our offer."

Picard nodded politely before responding. "Captain Data came from a universe in which our society had long since collapsed. Given what I know about his reality, I respect his decision."

The Na'kua responded with a single voice which reverberated through the cloud on all sides. "An even bigger calamity is destined for your reality, Picard. If you had the ability to prevent billions of deaths from happening, including your own, surely as a member of a sentient species you'd accept it."

Picard sullenly frowned before speaking. "I would be lying if I said I wouldn't consider it. Who would not want to avoid pain and suffering if they were already prepared for it?"

Picard resolutely paced around the walls of the vast intelligence that contained him. "However, in the case of my reality, I must refuse your generous offer. That calamity may still happen but from my perspective it has not yet. You must trust that our people have the capacity to learn on their own and collaborate to solve the galaxy's biggest problems."

The Na'kua erupted in a chorus of voices. One phrase that Picard heard above the others was, "These humans can learn a thing or two from the Wakai we protect."

Picard decisively raised his hand to address the Na'kua. "Concerning the Wakai, yes, we have much to learn from them. Although we have had a minor encounter with them to date, we are fascinated by their culture and we want to learn more." He turned to the voices behind him. "But you should not conflate Wakai culture with the human condition. Your stewardship of the Wakai benefits them greatly but such actions for humans destroys their spirit."

"Explain." The collective Na'kua voices boomed.

"The challenge of the unknown is the last vestige of the human spirit." Picard outlined his argument. "When we made contact with beings other than ourselves, the urge for conquest was transformed into curiosity. When we eradicated money, people diverted their urges to acquire material wealth towards acquiring knowledge for the benefit of all. Now you offer to reveal the final mystery of the human condition: the future. Eradicating the unknown may seem appealing but it condemns a species like mine to cultural suicide."

He turned to the multitude of past events behind him. "We would only mimic what was told to us with neither imagination nor passion. We would no longer live, we would simply exist."

Picard turned to the futures in front of him. "But we can still do your bidding without your interference." He indicated the future where the U.S.S. Pasteur journeyed into the anti-time anomaly to save humanity. "You say you celebrate realities which champion intelligence, cooperation and freedom. We have averted the destruction of humanity by a cosmic anomaly. We've liberated it from enslavement at the hands of the Borg. We can avert the crisis you speak of as well using our own ingenuity. We have the same goals, we simply have different means of accomplishing them."

Picard concluded his speech with as much appreciation his exhausted body could give. "We appreciate your gift of foresight but it is inappropriate for us to wield such forbidden knowledge." He asked for the radiation signatures necessary to restore Nguyen and Edala.

Another discordant chatter of voices erupted from every synapse in the vast intelligence. In those painstaking moments, Picard heard the phrase "that human fool" interlaced with references to a "contingency plan," "true sentience" and what to do with the Wakai.

Finally with a collective burst of light, the vast intelligence came to an agreement. "Very well, Picard, we accept your proposal, on one condition."

Picard steadfastly stared into the cloud in front of him. "Name it,"

"Some members of the Wakai on the planet have expressed unhappiness with our care." The Na'kua explained. "Although we have treated their every need, they feel unfulfilled. Much like you humans, this new generation of Wakai has become restless and wants to journey elsewhere."

Picard frowned. "Wouldn't that mean those individuals no longer receive your protection? They would age. Their lifespans might be shorter."

The Na'kua answered with an exhausted "yes." "The younger generations want to explore the universe just like you humans do."

A voice piped up from behind Picard. "You needn't worry about cultural contamination. This quality existed in the Wakai people millennia before you humans even learned to walk upright. We just managed to quelch it with our care."

The Na'kua then spoke in one unanimous voice. "It appears that true sentience requires the same kind of curiosity you humans possess."

Picard nodded in agreement.

"Some wanted to journey with the Ferengi but we forbad it. Your Federation seems to have the wisdom to guide this new generation of Wakai and the means of protecting them."

Picard nodded. "Consider it done." Picard then qualified his statement. "However, given the fact that my vessel is currently surrounded by a squadron of hostile warships, I cannot guarantee their safety if they board the Destiny."

"We have a plan to resolve that problem should you agree to take our more adventurous Wakai as passengers. Do we have an agreement?"

Picard puzzled himself with the Na'kua's cryptic response before slowly nodding. The Na'kua signalled their agreement by having every synapse in the vast intelligence glow with ruby red light. "The radiation signatures will be available upon your return to your reality."

Picard raised an eyebrow. "In what form?"

"You'll see…" The Na'kua responded. "I thought the defining characteristic of your species was its curiosity for the unknown."

"Touche," Picard replied before giving his thanks with a gracious bow.

"Do not thank us yet, Picard." The Nakua responded. "You may find that the consequences of your choice may give you more than you bargained for. The challenges will be daunting; the biggest you have ever faced in your career."

Picard nodded understandingly. "Then I suppose I will have an opportunity to live up to my fullest potential."

"We shall see." The Nakua responded as the cloud around Picard started to whip in a massive vortex. "In any case, we'll be watching you." With Picard's face bathed in a glow of swirling violet and white light, Picard peered at the opening before him and passed through it into darkness.  
U.S.S. Destiny NCC-4172020

The mood aboard the Destiny's bridge was frantic in the final moments before the deadline. Whenever Ukweli was not issuing rapid-fire orders to her bridge crew, she was reading status reports from the rest of the ship on the armrest of her command chair. Al-Muzud feverishly programmed every possible vector from his Picard maneuver algorithm into his console.

Once she was satisfied with the engineering reports, Ukweli hailed sickbay where Dr. Kakua busied himself with his nursing staff in installing microsurgical kits to the side of every biobed in sickbay. Tereshkova was found right next to him evaluating telemetry from the devices on the planet. In the quarantine compartment, Edala busied herself with attaching braces on each of Nguyen's limbs. If they needed to evacuate, the robotic hydraulics would help her carry her newfound friend to safety.

Kakua responded to Ukweli's inquiry with brazen frustration. "Honestly, things could be better. This is an exploratory vessel, not a warship. We don't have the foundation to treat the whole crew when half of the ship is blowing up."

Kakua then loaded a hypospray with a caffeine like solution and injected it into his neck. "Plus. I've been running for twenty-seven hours without rest. I just might have to activate an Emergency Medical Hologram or two to pick up some slack."

"Do what you can, Doctor." Ukweli replied. "It will be enough."

Kakua rolled his eyes doubtfully. "We'll see."

Ukweli then addressed Tereshkova for her final report regarding a possible cure.

Tereshkova sadly shook her head. "Progress is faster than earlier, but we're still at least several hours before we can isolate a candidate."

Ukweli's voice was calming. "Continue your work. Your station will be prioritized if we experience power loss during combat. I don't have to remind you Commander that the cure is of paramount importance."

Tereshkova despondently nodded. "Understood, Captain,"

Back on the bridge, Ukweli looked at the chronometer on her armrest with a heavy sigh. On cue, Al-Muzud announced that Admiral I'ban's flagship the Si'ad was hailing them.

Ukweli tightened her jaw as she turned to the viewscreen. "On screen,"

The holographic likeness of Admiral I'ban and the bridge of his ship superimposed itself on the Destiny's transparent aluminium windshield.

"Captain Ukweli, it is my duty to inform you that 24 hours have elapsed since our arrival to this planet." I'ban's eyes glared at Ukweli with hawkish aggression. "Per our agreement, you must give my vessels permission to land."

"Admiral I'ban, in the interest of protecting the well-being of yourself, your crews, and the civilians under your care, I have no choice but to deny your request to disembark onto the planet." Ukweli stood up from her chair to look I'ban squarely in the eye. "The cosmic phenomenon below is too dangerous. Many if not all of your fellow Romulans will die if you step foot on the planet."

"I have 24 warbirds targeting your ship's vital systems." I'ban countered. "If you deny our request, many if not all of your crew will be dead within the hour. Are you prepared to live with that?"

"If standing in your way will keep your fellow Romulans safe and healthy, History will honor our sacrifice." Ukweli replied.

I'ban snarled. "Then die as the martyrs you aspire to be."

A siren wailed on Al-Muzud's console. "Captain, they are charging disruptor banks."

Ukweli cut the channel and made her way back to her chair. "Red alert, shields to maximum. Al-Muzud, you know what to do."

Al-Muzud nodded. "Loading evasive maneuver, Picard/Muzud Alpha."

The Destiny's engines audibly revved up in preparation for warp speed. But before they could construct their warp signature, a palpable rumble rocked through the ship.

Ukweli turned to Al-Muzud. "What happened? Were he hit?"

Al-Muzud shook his head. "Something is wrong with the engines. We can't create a warp signature."

Before Ukweli could hail engineering, Sanchez came over her comlink. "Oye, Captain, there's something wrong with the space around us. Somehow the laws of physics just went out the window."

The red alert klaxons began to signal in earnest as Al-Muzud reported. "The Si'ad is firing forward disruptor cannons. Impact in two seconds."

Ukweli fastened herself in her command chair. "Brace for impact."

As the bridge crew fastened themselves into their chairs in dreaded anticipation of the disruptor blast, nothing happened. As the green blade of light approached the Destiny's hull, the hazardous particles began to disintegrate. Only a wave of harmless light struck the Destiny's stardrive.

Ukweli turned to Al-Muzud in surprise. "Was that the doing of your metaphasic shielding?" Al-Muzud shook his head.

Before Ukweli could give a command, her attention was consumed by the two dozen green photon torpedo blasts making their way to the ship. With the push of a button on her command chair, she hailed all decks and ordered them to brace for impact.

As the torpedoes crossed into the space surrounding the Destiny, the warheads suddenly became inert. The twenty four glowing spheres of destructive energy suddenly flared out. Their canisters faintly collided with the ship before tumbling into deep space.

Ukweli turned to Al-Muzud in astonishment. "It appears that the laws of physics have gone out the window." Al-Muzud nodded his agreement.

In that moment, a torrent of energy manifested itself outside the bridge's portside turbolift. In the blink of an eye, Picard emerged from a spontaneous hole in the fabric of spacetime which then winked itself out of existence.

The freshly materialized ambassador patted himself in disorientation as he spared a moment to get his bearings. Once he realized where he was, Picard promptly marched towards Ukweli at the center of the bridge and asked for a status report.

"The deadline has expired." Ukweli reported. "The Romulans are attempting to make good on their threats to fire on us but their weapons appear to be malfunctioning."

Picard allowed himself a chuckle as his mind processed the report. "No, they're not malfunctioning. We have friends from a higher dimension intervening on our behalf."

Picard turned to Al-Muzud and asked to hail the Si'ad.

I'ban's frustrated face plastered the transparent viewscreen.

Contrasting his frustration with level-headed calm, Picard stepped forward. "Admiral I'ban, it has been 24 hours, I hope you are well."

I'ban responded with an eruption of rage. "To hell with your diplomatic platitudes, Picard! We had an agreement that we would land within 24 hours of our arrival at this planet and you have defaulted."

Picard turned to Ukweli before responding to the Romulan. "Yes, I'm sure you were informed that there is a strange cosmic phenomenon down on the planet. If I were to guess, it might have something to do with why your weapons appear to be malfunctioning."

At this point, the Si'ad's science officer approached I'ban with a padd. "Admiral, there appears to be some kind of cosmic radiation which has caused our photon torpedoes to decay into electrons and positrons before hitting their target."

Picard nonchalantly responded. "If that kind of radiation can cause something as simple as photons to disintegrate, can you imagine what it can do to Romulan biological matter?"

In response to Picard's question, I'ban threw the padd to the side and snarled. "What are your terms?"

Picard turned to Ukweli with an impish wink. When he returned to confront I'ban, the seasoned envoy issued his terms. "We are closing in on an antidote for the radiation. We ask for you to patiently remain in orbit while that task is completed. In the meantime, if your vessels require engineering support or your passengers have any medical needs, we'd be happy to accommodate you in both regards."

I'ban bit his lip until small beads of green blood bubbled down his chin. Finally, in one final explosive gesture, I'ban threw his hands in the air. "So be it, Picard, we agree to your terms. If you do not mind, some of our civilian freighters require some repairs to their environmental systems if they are to stay in orbit."

Picard tightened his lips to suppress an ironic grin. "We will send engineering crews post haste. We'll make sure they only focus on the environmental systems and none of the more sensitive portions of the ship."

"Thank you, Picard," I'ban reluctantly replied as he picked up the padd he threw.

Picard nodded before adding. "If I may give you some constructive criticism, Admiral: learn to control your anger. I'm quite sure what I just saw qualifies as conduct unbecoming an officer."

He glanced at Ukweli before turning back to I'ban. "And if I'm not mistaken, the penalty for that kind of crime on a Romulan ship is sixty lashes."

"You are correct, Picard. Thank you for your suggestion. I will remember that for our next encounter." I'ban sneered as the image dematerialized.

As the stress on the Destiny's bridge melted with every pixel on the dissolving viewscreen, Picard turned to Ukweli. "We only got out of that firefight because of a deal I made with the Nakua. They give us the cure and protection from the Romulans and in return we take on some of the more curious Wakai as passengers. Do you think we can arrange lodging for them?"

Ukweli gave a playful scoff at Picard's request. "After what just happened, I'll gladly give them my quarters for a month if they want it."

Picard smiled and nodded. "I don't think that's necessary but I know what you mean."

The bridge crew shared a chuckle before Ukweli's combadge was activated with a message from sickbay. "Sickbay to Bridge." Tereshkova's voice was beaming with triumph. "My devices on the planet have picked up a radiation signature which appears to restore all aspects of Romulan tissue back to its original form. I think we got an antidote for the Romulans."

Kakua's voice chimed on. "My algorithm has also isolated a possible cure that can rehabilitate Nguyen."

Picard congratulated the two scientists as Ukweli ordered that manufacturing of the vaccine be produced post haste.

After closing the channel, Picard turned to Al-Muzud. "Lieutenant, at your earliest convenience, please open a communique to the Veritas-1 colony in the Elas system. I wish to speak with Daimon Yashe. Tell him I have another contract I'd like to offer him."

As he made his way to the turbolift, Picard turned to his crew. "I usually don't do this but I've been feeling more gregarious over the past 24 hours than any time since my Academy days. So, if anyone would like to toast the end of this painfully unusual away mission, I am offering a Happy Hour in my quarters at 2100. My drink of choice will be a Tzartak Aperitif. For some reason, I've developed a strange craving for that drink lately."

Picard then stepped into the turbolift and descended to his quarters.


	18. Episode 2, Chapter 10: Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this epilogue, Dr. Kakua examines the effects of the Wakai radiation cure.

Epilogue

Chief Medical Officer's Log Stardate 75209.3: After the toughest bout as a physician since my third year in medical school, I am happy to announce that a cure has been discovered for everyone affected by the cosmic radiation from Hokulea 4. Inoculated Romulans are making their way down to the planet and all seems right with the galaxy. I just need to tie up some loose ends.

Edala stood in the center of sickbay as Dr. Kakua waved his tricorder over her head and torso. With a jubilant grin, Kakua slapped the tricorder shut.

"You're normal." Kakua announced. "Everything is exactly the way it was. You even managed to retain your memories from the last day. I guess those thoughts and memories were stored in that auxiliary limbic lobe that Romulans have."

Edala replied with a glowing smile. "Thanks, Doctor. I appreciate things going back to normal." She then turned to the vacant quarantine compartment behind her. "How's Kenny?"

Kakua smiled as he organized the padds on his desk. "I am pleased to announce that Starfleet's oldest cadet has made a mostly miraculous recovery. I discharged him two hours ago."

Edala frowned and approached the surgeon with her hands folded in concern. "Mostly?"

Kakua gave a heavy sigh. "He doesn't remember anything since he first beamed down to the planet. Honestly, I think it's an effect of the cure Picard got from the Na'kua. It's probably for the best. Conveniently forgetting all the events of his past life will probably save his career. Captain Nguyen knew too much."

Edala's frown deepened in dejection as she slowly turned around. "So, he doesn't remember me?"

Kakua shrugged, his voice twisted in an incredulous response. "I wouldn't say that. He saw you before he went on the away mission. Trust me, he does remember that."

Edala turned back towards Kakua in earnest. "But I mean, he doesn't remember our time together: in the quarantine compartment, on the holodeck?"

Kakua frowned and shook his head.

Edala recoiled and hunched over in grief. As Kakua saw the pulverizing anguish on the young Romulan's face, he formulated a way to relieve her suffering. "I actually have a question about your time in the holodeck, if you don't mind."

Edala uncomfortably grimaced but nodded in silent consent.

"If the purpose of the pon farr tournament was to be assigned a mate in addition to proving one's loyalty to the Empire, does that mean you're married?"

Edala wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head. "No, I mean, I was, technically, but I had it annulled."

She then explained that the Praetor presiding over her tournament was assassinated in Shinzon of Remus' coup d'etat. After his short-lived reign, her father took over as Praetor who had the power to invalidate the original pairing.

"We spoke about it a lot. He did come from a privileged family, a higher class than my own, extravagant dowry." Edala explained. "But I wanted more from my life. I also had no affection for him. Ali'am's passing overshadowed everything."

Kakua nodded thoughtfully. "To be trapped in a loveless marriage is my greatest fear, too. It's probably why I stay single. Plus I think my ridiculously good looks are irresistible to the ladies."

Edala giggled which caused more tears to stream from her face. "But in all seriousness, with a lifespan of 200 years, you can have a lot of children or accomplish many feats. I wanted the latter. My great grandmother was a Fleet Commander who squared off against Captain Kirk. I wanted to make my own mark in my family's mythology."

She sighed and wiped her face with the cloth that Dr. Kakua handed her. "So, against my mother's wishes, I pushed to have the marriage annulled. A woman divorcing her mate without immediately joining with another leaves her vulnerable to discommendation and scorn. A Praetor can even revoke citizenship for such an action. But I knew my citizenship was intact with my father as the Praetor."

She sighed and straightened her spine. "I am proud to be Romulan, but I would not fulfill my duties to the Empire after what I faced in the tournament. Not in the traditional way."

With her eyes clear and face dry, Edala handed the cloth back to Kakua. "So, my father appointed me as his special envoy to the Federation and I came into the services of Ambassador Picard. The decision protected my father from criticism because I was out of mainstream society and it allowed me to serve the Empire on my terms."

Dr. Kakua nodded understandingly and placed the damp cloth into the waste receptacle. "You are a remarkable young woman, Edala. I'm proud to know you."

Edala smiled and gave her thanks. "If you don't mind my asking, doctor, why did you ask me about that?"

Dr. Kakua shrugged. "I need accurate contact information for your next of kin in case something happens to you. Per Starfleet regulations spouses take precedence over parents."

Edala nodded absentmindedly before reflecting on the last twenty four hours. "It's strange. Over the last twenty four hours, I have felt emotions I never thought I would feel again since my sister's death at my hands."

She looked back at the empty compartment. "But I suppose, those feelings are to be ripped away from me, too."

Dr. Kakua frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"If you're saying Captain Nguyen's memories have been erased then surely his affection for me must be gone, too." Edala then looked over her shoulder at Dr. Kakua. "Or did he have them before?"

Dr. Kakua shook his head. "Sorry. I'm pretty sure that falls under doctor-patient privilege."

As Edala forlornly faced forward away from Dr. Kakua; the ship's surgeon tried to comfort her. "I may not be an expert in temporal mechanics, but I do know this. Effects cannot happen without causes."

Edala frowned. "What does that mean?"

Kakua smiled. "It means what you experienced yesterday was the effects of Captain Nguyen's longtime affection for you. In the simplest terms imaginable, he couldn't have those feelings unless a version of them existed earlier in his life." He looked Edala in the eye with an encouraging smile. "But, you won't know unless you get to know him."

Edala wrinkled her forehead in contemplation. "I guess you're right."

At that moment, the doors to sickbay flung open and a young Cadet Kenneth Nguyen made his way towards Dr. Kakua's desk.

Kakua noticed the spontaneous gleam in Nguyen's eye when he saw Edala standing near the desk. "Hey Doc, good evening Edala, am I interrupting anything?"

Dr. Kakua shot a glance at Edala who emphatically shook her head. "We were just finishing up." She replied. "How are you feeling?"

Nguyen clutched his right knee. "I'm feeling okay for the most part. Some of my muscles get sore when I walk but I think I'll be okay after a few days."

Nguyen turned to Kakua. "I was wondering when I could resume my exercise regiment. Starfleet Special Forces wants its recruits to be in top notch shape."

Kakua shrugged lazily. "Well, if we're going by Starfleet Special Forces standards, my professional opinion is that you start an extremely light regiment today and incrementally increase the difficulty as your joints recover."

Kakua then caught a glance of Edala looking over Nguyen appraisingly before finishing his prescription. "And I'd say supervision is a must. Especially given your current physical condition."

Nguyen shot a brief glance at Edala before turning back to Kakua. "Do you want to supervise me, Doctor?"

Kakua feigned disappointment. "I would, Cadet, but I promised Picard I'd swing by his quarters. I want to see if that drink he talked about yesterday really does make one's knees melt. It's for medical research, you see."

Kakua turned to Edala. "Would you like to supervise the cadet during his recovery?"

Edala fought with all her might to crush a smile. She managed to suppress it long enough to turn back to Nguyen and ask about his exercise regimen of choice.

Nguyen shrugged with a hint of self-confidence. "Ordinarily, I do Klingon bat'leth exercises. It's the perfect exercise."

Edala's eyes widened. "Really? Me too! It keeps the muscles strong and the senses sharp."

Kakua gestured for Edala and Nguyen to head towards Holodeck 1. "Then go brave warriors of the Federation and Romulan Star Empire. Go slay the galloping hordes of barbaric assailants and bring honor to both your houses. May we sing songs of your many victories!"

Edala and Nguyen made their way through sickbay in a constant state of chatter. Edala was impressed by Nguyen's choice of blade and martial art strategies. Nguyen was impressed by the abnormally high difficulty level at which she set the holodeck's safety protocols.

On their way out of sickbay, Nguyen stumbled as his right knee buckled. As she did before in the turbolift, Edala flung her arms around Nguyen's torso to prop him up. Trying to save as much dignity as he could, Nguyen steadied himself and applauded his Romulan friend for her quick reflexes and strength. "I think we will definitely need that on the holodeck. At least until my knee recovers."

As the two made their way through the passageway, Edala offered to teach Nguyen the combat techniques she used during the pon farr tournament. "If you want to get into Starfleet Special Forces, these skills are second to none." Edala insisted. "Thanks, who knows, maybe you might want to join Special Forces, too." Nguyen responded.

Kakua caught the two out of the corner of his eye as they turned around the juncture where escape pods were located. As the doors hissed behind him, the young doctor nodded. "I have a feeling Starfleet's future is in good hands."

This concludes Star Trek: Destiny (aka Star Trek: Picard What Could Have Been) Episode 2: "What is Past is Prologue." This narrative continues with Episode 3: "Dark As Erebus." Coming soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Since Patrick Stewart is Executive Producer of the actual show, I simulated his input by having each episode title be a reference to Shakespeare. As a Shakespearean actor and enthusiast, I figured he would sign off on such titles. 
> 
> Since he also has wanted to tackle Brexit, I also made that a plot line in the entire season which will start with the Episode “Winter of Our Discontent.”


End file.
